Fight or Flight: Book One: Immune
by Jeffrey Dahmer
Summary: Four apprentices, one from each Clan, are haunted by an ominous prophecy that threatens the future of the Clans. With a sickness spreading through the Clans like wildfire, these apprentices must join together to stop the disease before it's too late. But even if the disease doesn't kill them all, the Clans are sure to destroy themselves. HIATUS
1. Prologue

**ThunderClan**

Leader: Bramblestar-dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy: Lionblaze-golden tabby tom with amber eyes (filling in for Squirrelflight while she's nursing kits.)

Medicine Cat:

Jayfeather-gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

Leafpool-light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Warriors:

Brackenfur-golden brown tabby tom

Cloudtail-long-haired white tom with blue eyes

_Apprentice, Hollypaw_

Brightheart-white she-cat with ginger patches

Millie-striped gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Thornclaw-golden brown tabby tom

Spiderleg-long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

_Apprentice, Amberpaw_

Birchfall-light brown tabby tom

Whitewing-white she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice, Dewpaw_

Berrynose-cream-colored tom

Mousewhisker-gray-and-white tom

_Apprentice, Fernpaw_

Cinderheart-gray tabby she-cat

Ivypool-silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

_Apprentice, Snowpaw _

Rosepetal-dark cream she-cat

Poppyfrost-tortoiseshell she-cat

Briarlight-dark brown she-cat

Blossomfall-tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Bumblestripe-very pale gray tom with black stripes

_Apprentice, Sorrelpaw_

Cherryfall-ginger she-cat

Molewhisker-brown-and-cream tom

Lilyheart –tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Stormcloud – gray tabby tom

Apprentices:

Amberpaw-pale ginger she-cat

Dewpaw-gray and white tom

Snowpaw-white, fluffy tom

Fernpaw – pale gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Hollypaw – black she-cat with green eyes

Sorrelpaw – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with bright blue eyes

Queens:

Daisy-cream long-furred cat from the horseplace

Squirrelflight-dark ginger she-cat with green eyes (Mother of Bramblestar's kits: Honeykit-sandy coloured she-cat, Emberkit: ginger tom with yellow eyes, Brightkit: tortoiseshell she-cat, and Frogkit-black and white tom)

Dovewing - pale gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Elders:

Purdy-plump tabby former loner with a gray muzzle

Graystripe-long-haired gray tom

Sandstorm-pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

**ShadowClan**

Leader: Rowanstar-ginger tom

Deputy: Crowfrost-black-and-white tom

Medicine Cat: Littlecloud-very small tabby tom

Warriors:

Tawnypelt-tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

_Apprentice, Grasspaw_

Owlclaw-light brown tabby tom

Scorchfur-dark gray tom

Tigerheart-dark brown tabby tom

Ferretclaw-black-and-gray tom

_Apprentice, Spikepaw_

Pinenose-black she-cat

Stoatfur-tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Apprentices:

Grasspaw-pale brown tabby she-cat

Spikepaw-dark brown tom

Queens:

Snowbird-pure white she-cat (Mother of Scorchfur's kits: Smokekit: gray she-cat with darker stripes, and Wrenkit: dark gray tabby she-cat)

Dawnpelt-cream-furred she-cat (Mother of Brindlekit: dappled brown she-cat, Weedkit: dark cream tom, and Mousekit: gray and brown tom with blue eyes)

Elders:

Whitewater-white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye

Ratscar-brown tom with long scar across his back

Oakfur-small brown tom

Smokefoot-black tom

Kinkfur-tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles

Ivytail-black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

**WindClan**

Leader: Onestar-brown tabby tom

Deputy: Harespring-brown-and-white tom

_Apprentice: Slightpaw _

Medicine Cat: Kestrelflight-mottled gray tom

Warriors:

Crowfeather-dark gray tom

_Apprentice: Featherpaw_

Nightcloud-black she-cat

_Apprentice: Hootpaw_

Gorsetail-very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes

Weaselfur-ginger tom with white paws

Leaftail-dark tabby tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice: Oatpaw_

Emberfoot-gray tom with two dark paws

Heathertail-light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Breezepelt-black tom with amber eyes

Furzepelt-gray-and-white she-cat

Crouchfoot-ginger tom

Larkwing-pale brown tabby she-cat

Apprentices:

Slightpaw-black tom with flash of white on his chest

Featherpaw-gray tabby she-cat

Hootpaw-dark gray tom

Oatpaw-pale brown tabby tom

Queens:

Sedgewhisker-light brown tabby she-cat (Mother of Emberfoot's kits: Ravenkit: black she-cat, Adderkit: dark brown tom with amber eyes, and Thistlekit: light brown tabby tom with yellow eyes)

Elders:

Whiskernose-light brown tom

Whitetail-small white she-cat

**RiverClan**

Leader: Mistystar-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Reedwhisker-black tom

_Apprentice, Lizardpaw _

Medicine Cat: Mothwing-dappled golden she-cat

Willowshine-gray tabby she-cat

Warriors:

Mintfur-light gray tabby tom

Minnowtail-dark gray she-cat

Mallownose-light brown tabby tom

_Apprentice, Havenpaw_

Duskfur-brown tabby she-cat

Mosspelt-tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

_Apprentice, Perchpaw_

Shimmerpelt-silver she-cat

Lakeheart-gray tabby she-cat

Heronwing-dark gray-and-black tom

Apprentices:

Lizardpaw-light brown tom

Havenpaw-black-and-white she-cat

Perchpaw-gray-and-white she-cat

Queens:

Icewing-white she-cat with blue eyes (Mother of Darkkit: dark gray tom with green eyes, Hazelkit: pale silver she-cat with bright blue eyes, and Graykit: gray tom with darker ears)

Petalfur-gray-and-white she-cat (Mother of Mallownose's kits: Stormkit: silver tabby she-cat, and Spiderkit: dusty black tom with long legs)

Elders:

Pouncetail-ginger-and-white tom

Rushtail-light brown tabby tom

Prologue

Four cats stood around a small, shimmering pool. Nobody said anything but they all shared the same thoughts. One by one, each cat placed a paw on the surface of the cool water and like blood, colors leaked from their paws and started to swirl around the pool.

The colors bled into the water and formed images, blurry at first but within moments, became as clear as day. The first cat to pull their paw away was a tom with a fiery red pelt and forest green eyes. When his paw was out of the water, he looked visibly weakened and his ginger fur was a few shades lighter, almost looking translucent.

"You made your decision quick, Firestar," a black and white tom on the other side of the pool mewed. A heartbeat later, he as well pulled his paw out of the water but not a drop clung to it. Like with Firestar, he looked weak like the colours that bled from his paws was his life force leaking out. "And I have to say, I'm not surprised. She's a wise choice."

Firestar dipped his head at the older tom, "Thank you, Tallstar. I know she will make the Clans proud and do her duty."

"Enough chit-chat, we have more important things to discuss," a white tom standing in between the two hissed. He yanked his black paw out of the water, causing it to ripple but the images stayed clear. "The Clans are about to face a storm not even the strongest warrior could survive!"

"Calm yourself, Blackstar," a golden and black she-cat meowed calmly from the opposite side of the pool. She was the last cat to pull her paw out of the pool. She looked down at the four images in the pool and laughed bitterly, "So these are the cats who hold the fate of the Clans."

"Don't sound so cynical, Leopardstar. They are the right cats for the journey," Tallstar shot at the former RiverClan leader. The fur along Leopardstar's back bristled but she bit back a retort. "We all have our reasons for our choices and together, they'll save the Clans."

"Are you sure they aren't too young?" Firestar asked. "Putting this much on four apprentices is… is it too much?"

"You once held a prophecy on your shoulders Firestar," Tallstar responded calmly. "We have all had to make choices and do things for the sake of our Clans. These four are destined for greatness and they are the only ones who can save the Clans."

"They are young now, but they will grow," Tallstar added when he saw that Firestar still looked unsure. "They are our last hope."

The four stared at the unmoving images in the water. Finally, Blackstar reached his paw out and for the second time, lightly placed it on the surface of the pool. The images blurred and slowly disappeared.

The black and white tom didn't say anything as he turned and left, limping slightly in his weakened state. Tallstar soon did the same, walking in his own direction and Leopardstar followed until there was only Firestar left. The ginger tom stared down at the clear pool that reflected stars off the surface.

Finally, Firestar took a step back and lifted his head up to Silverpelt. "Let them be the right choices. The fate of the Clans depend on it."

**A/N: A very short prologue, I know but I said everything I needed to say. Anyway, a new story! Yaaay! I have some big plans for this and just so you know, this takes place after Bramblestar's Storm. And trust me, it get's more exciting than this XD**

**I've had so many people help me with the creation of this but there's kind of a list so everyone will be listed in the last chapter in the acknowledgements. So if you helped out, you'll have a special thanks later on!**

**If you'll scroll up to RiverClan, you'll see Icewing's daughter, Hazelkit! She's dedicated to a friend of mine who just adopted his first baby girl and I wanted to do something to honor her, even if she's a bit too young to see this :3 So if you're reading this, congratulations on being a daddy!**

**Finally, If you've read my other fic, The Challenge, I had a little contest to write about an underrated character. I've had plenty of submissions but I noticed that a lot of people aren't finished. If it were just one person, I wouldn't do this, but since it's quite a few, I decided to push it back to Sunday, the 28th for my next update!**

**Question of the Day**

**Merry Christmas! If you celebrate Christmas, what did you get for gifts? And if you don't celebrate it, just tell me something interesting about yourself!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Reviews**

**Juliet's Shadow: That sounds like so much fun, when are you going? **

**Tiny Author Life xx – I still can't believe you're in Russia :D And I'm so excited too! Like the prologue obviously wasn't very long but I promise that this one is much better! I'm glad you like Hazelkit! Your daughter is going to leave a little legacy behind and she's not even a year old!**

**Amberstorm233 – Really? That's kind of crazy! Adderkit and Ravenkit were both submitted in my other fic but Thistlekit is my OC! It'll be revealed in this chapter which cat is the one to receive the prophecy! I think you'll like her; she's a blast to write for!**

**Shadow765 – I hope so too **** Only two chapters posted and Fight or Flight is already my baby! I take fanfictions way too personally though xD And even though you only got 3 gifts, I hope you had a merry Christmas!**

**Birdflame – Hey! And thank you! I'm glad you had a white Christmas **** I didn't, but I loved it none the less. We've been having some chinooks so all the snow melted. And my Christmas was great! Had some relatives over and got some great gifts!**

**Frosty Tang of Fresh Moon – Yep! And whoops, I took Fernpaw from you! You can still write for her though **

**QLKwriter – That's so cool! I'd love a kindle! It would make my life so much easier..**

**Guest - Yeah this one is a lot longer :) It's about 3k I think so I hope you like it more :) That was just a prologue so I doubt anything I ever write will be as short as that!**

**Stuffed Watermelon - Here's the update! And no problem :)**

**RedStripe of WindClan - Hype? Well thank you and I hope it meets your expectations!**

**KatieK101 - Well if it isn't Morbid Hitler :P And I still disagree with you on that one, though I hope this chapter makes up for the prologue haha! Ah Slightpaw sure is a character! I think you'll like him. And I think (?) that Slight means small. I don't know, I just love him!**

**Lazy Watermelon - I love them! Their names are pretty cool and now they've got little kitties to take care of! Haha Leaopardstar cares on the inside xD Mery Christmas, I had a green one too.**

**Answer of the Day**

**For Christmas, I got some clothes, a bunch of movies, some makeup stuff, art stuff, and some nice soaps and bath bombs from my bosses! It was a really great Christmas **

ThunderClan

"_Try that again and I'll rip your fur off!"_ Fernpaw hissed and cuffed Sorrelpaw over the ear. Her sister flinched and darted away with a scowl on her face.

"I just want to share," Sorrelpaw pouted as their other sister, Hollypaw, padded up to them. When she saw Fernpaw hunched over a fat mouse like it was the last piece of prey in ThunderClan, she only sighed and shook her head.

"You want to share the prey that _I _caught. It's not my fault you're a terrible hunter," Fernpaw sniffed and Hollpaw's jaw dropped.

"Fernpaw!" she snapped but it was too late. Sorrelpaw flinched back like she had been struck before turning and trudging away. Her tortoiseshell tail dragged on the ground as she walked, gathering up dust. "Why are you always so mean?"

Hollypaw turned and stomped after her sister as Fernpaw watched them go. The whole fight started when Sorrelpaw _assumed _that she could share Fernpaw's catch with her and she responded in snapping at Sorrelpaw.

It was a stupid fight but most of them were. Fernpaw had a sharp tongue and her sisters always overshadowing her was making her more snappy than usual. Ever since Lilyheart became a warrior and Seedpaw died, Fernpaw hadn't been the same.

"Fernpaw, come here please," Bramblestar called from across the clearing. His words were polite but judging from his angry tone, Fernpaw could tell that she was in trouble again.

Dovewing was sitting next to the leader but when she saw Fernpaw approach, she padded away to go share tongues with Ivypool.

Fernpaw scarfed down the rest of her mouse before standing up and trotting over to where her massive leader sat. She had always thought he looked intimidating and the scowl on his face wasn't helping his case.

"I saw how you treated your sister back there," Bramblestar snapped when Fernpaw finally reached him. She was still swallowing the mouse tail as he talked. "You need to learn how to be nicer and I can't let your attitude go unpunished."

Fernpaw hung her head to try and make it look like she was ashamed. Sometimes when Bramblestar thought someone looked sorry enough, he'd let them off with a warning. But not this time

"You won't be battle training with Mousewhisker today,"Bramblestar decided. Fernpaw's head snapped up and she gaped at her leader. "Instead, you'll be helping Jayfeather collect herbs."

"But Bramblestar-"

"Consider yourself lucky. I received worse punishments when I was an apprentice," Bramblestar meowed and Fernpaw huffed.

"Well you didn't have someone as grumpy as Jayfeather when you were an apprentice," Fernpaw grumbled under her breath as she stomped away.

The ThunderClan leaders' punishment was fair but like with everything else, Fernpaw was overreacting. She had gotten her sharp tongue from her uncle, Jayfeather, and independence from her parents, Lionblaze and Cinderheart. But when the two traits combined, it made a very sassy, dramatic she-cat.

Fernpaw stomped over to Jayfeather's den and stepped inside. She had to wait a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dark but once they were, she could see Leafpool and Jayfeather sorting herbs.

"Jayfeather? I'm supposed to come with you to collect herbs," Fernpaw called glumly from the den entrance. Leafpool flinched as if Fernpaw had snuck up on her but Jayfeather barely even blinked.

"Now?" Jayfeather grumbled. "Even a kit knows that the best time to collect catmint is later in the day when all the dew has dried up! Oh never mind, I'll just make two trips."

Fernpaw frowned and rolled her eyes, knowing that Jayfeather couldn't see it. "So are we going to go or…?"

Jayfeather grumbled something under his breath and quickly pawed a few herbs into piles. Leafpool smiled at her son's behaviour and used her tail to sweep the same herbs onto a leaf. Fernpaw watched with little interest as the medicine cat skillfully wrapped the bundle and stored it in the crevice.

"Are we going to go or…?" Jayfeather mocked from outside the den. Fernpaw bit back a retort as she glanced one last time at the she-cat sorting herbs before stomping after Jayfeather.

Jayfeather and Fernpaw were like fire and ice. They didn't mix and it was hard to tell which was worse; being frozen or burned. So instead of trying to start conversation, they both just stayed quiet as they made their way through the forest. One of them would occasionally say something which would either be answered by silence or an incoherent grumble.

"We need cobwebs," Jayfeather informed.

Silence.

"I'm on dawn patrol in the morning so let's make this quick," Fernpaw mewed later.

Grumble.

And so it went until they were standing in front of a tree that was literally covered in cobwebs. Each branch had a silver strands hanging from it and Fernpaw could even see some spiders crawling on them.

Jayfeather felt around the ground until his paw hit a stick. He grabbed it in his mouth and handed it to Fernpaw. "What am I supposed to do with this?" Fernpaw asked.

"Collect cobwebs with it," Jayfeather replied bluntly. The second the words left his mouth, the stick was on the ground again. "Well you won't pick them up like that."

"I am _not _collecting cobwebs. That's your job!" Fernpaw retorted and her rear plopped down on the ground. She held her stance defiantly, even if the tom couldn't see it.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm blind. That's why I have to bring immature apprentices like you when I go." Jayfeather tried to keep his voice even but he wasn't succeeding.

"Well what if a spider crawls in my mouth?" Fernpaw snapped and Jayfeather stared blankly at the apprentice. "It might bite me and my throat will swell shut! You saw the size of the lump Lilyheart had when she was bit!"

"Actually, I didn't _see _anything," Jayfeather growled through gritted teeth. "And I can't believe you're training to be a warrior and you're scared of a-"

Jayfeather froze and his blue eyes widened. But when Fernpaw looked into them, they didn't look sightless anymore. "Jayfeather, what's wrong?"

Suddenly Fernpaw was hit with a stench so strong it made her eyes water. It smelled sweet but it was so overpowering that it made her want to retch. The pale gray apprentice looked around for the source of the smell but was greeted with something much worse.

Blood.

It covered the ground, like a flood that went past Fernpaw's feet and turned everything a sickly crimson. Fernpaw let out a blood curdling scream as she clawed at the nearest tree, trying to pull herself out of the sticky flood. The blood held her down like heavy rocks, pulling her in as it continuously rose, dragging her under.

Jayfeather tried scrabbling onto a nearby boulder but his paws were too slippery from the blood, leaving long smudges on the gray stone where he slid back down. He was in the same situation as Fernpaw; it was like the blood was physically dragging them under.

"Help me, please!" Fernpaw cried out, digging her claws as deep as they would go into the bark and holding on for dear life. The blood was heavier though and it was rising at a steady pace. One paw slipped, and then one of her claws tore out, making her flinch in pain and lose grip on her other paw. With one final scream, Fernpaw was dragged under, choking and spluttering as the blood filled her lungs.

She squeezed her eyes shut and let her body fall limp. She was too exhausted to try and fight this vicious flood anymore. All she could do now was wait for the end.

"What's going on?"

And then it was gone.

Fernpaw's eyes opened and she gasped for breath from her spot huddled beside the cobweb filled tree. There was no blood, no sickening scent, and even her claw that had torn out was safely on her foot again. Everything was as it should be.

Fernpaw couldn't say anything as she slowly stood up on four quivering legs. She was shaking so horribly that she only managed a second before she collapsed again on her weak legs. Whatever that was, it only lasted a few heartbeats but it was long enough to leave an imprint in her brain.

She stared down at her gray paws in amazement. Only heartbeats ago, they had been stained red and now they were back to normal, with a few webs hanging from them. She glanced over at Jayfeather to see he was huddled at the base of a boulder, his eyes sightless again but his body still shaking from the images he had just seen.

"I said, what's going on?" Fernpaw glanced up to see Brackenfur, Lilyheart, and Rosepetal staring wide eyed at the two. Brackenfur was the one to speak and even though his voice was loud and clear, it wavered with the fear of an unknown predator.

"B-but…" Fernpaw looked around for any traces of the crimson flood. She looked at the boulder Jayfeather had tried scrabbling up but instead of red smudges, there were only white scratches where Jayfeather's claws had hit. "There was so much blood…"

"Fernpaw, I think we should get you back to camp," Rosepetal said softly. She thought Fernpaw was crazy… she wasn't crazy!

"I saw it too," Jayfeather whispered. His voice cracked and was barely audible but everyone heard what he said. "We need to see Bramblestar immediately."

"I think you need to rest," Lilyheart started but Jayfeather whirled on her.

"Now!"

No one opposed as they started back to ThunderClan.

With every step, Fernpaw glanced in both direction to see if the blood would come back. She could still feel the sticky sensation on her paws and the sickeningly sweet scent wouldn't leave her nose. Lilyheart could feel her discomfort and pressed her pelt up against the younger she-cat to try and calm her down. "I'm sure there's a reason for this."

"I hope not," Fernpaw whispered to herself. She had hoped that it was just the cause of staying up too late but she knew deep down that that wasn't the case. That hallucination was for a reason and Jayfeather looked like he knew exactly why.

They reached ThunderClan soon enough and when they did, a group of cats was already waiting for them. Hollypaw, Sorrelpaw, Cinderheart, Squirrelflight and Lionblaze all bombarded them with questions the second they stepped through the bramble entrance.

"Who screamed?" That was Lionblaze.

"Was that you, Fernpaw?" Hollypaw.

"What happened, darling?" Cinderheart.

"Give them room!" Brackenfur ordered and the group took a few steps back. "They need to speak to Bramblestar. No questions until he's talked to them."

The group stayed quiet as Brackenfur led the two to Bramblestar's den. He didn't look surprised when they entered but worry was written all over his face. "Thank you Brackenfur, you may go," Bramblestar nodded. Brackenfur respectfully dipped his head before walking out of the den.

"Everyone heard your screams, Fernpaw. Can you please explain what happened?" he asked and Fernpaw opened her mouth, trying to find the right words to explain it.

"We received a prophecy," Jayfeather meowed. It was like the air in the den turned solid and weighed them all down. Prophecy's rarely meant anything good. They usually meant a danger was coming and the Clans would have to uproot their entire lives because of it; just like with the Great Journey and the Battle of the Stars. "There was blood everywhere, almost enough to fill the lake with and it covered the entire forest. Just before Brackenfur's patrol came, there was a voice that said-"

"No there wasn't," Fernpaw interrupted. "And you forgot the smell."

"What smell?" Jayfeather made a face. "I didn't smell anything. All I saw was blood and heard the voice."

"There wasn't any voice!" Fernpaw yelled and Bramblestar lashed his tail.

"Enough! Fernpaw, first explain the smell and then Jayfeather, continue with this voice. We need to get to the bottom of this," Bramblestar snapped and both cats nodded. Fernpaw started talking.

"There was an unbearable sweet scent in the air that hit before I saw the blood. I can't place the smell but it was so sweet that I could almost taste it. Even after the… dream… ended, I could still smell it," Fernpaw explained. "It lingered on my tongue nearly all the way back to camp."

Jayfeather looked confused but didn't argue with the apprentice. "Just before Brackenfur came there was a voice, it was quiet but it was there. It said:

"_Those of stronger standings must rise as the forest chokes on the blood the ancient and new. Bodies will drop as leaves do while only the sweetest of herbs can prevent this endless Leafbare."_

Fernpaw blinked once, twice and then finally screeched, "What does that even mean?"

"Fernpaw, hush," Bramblestar ordered. "We have to figure this out together. Besides the scent and the prophecy, there isn't anything else you two saw differently? Anything else you heard or saw?"

"No, Jayfeather hit everything else, spot on," Fernpaw said stiffly. "But what is it supposed to mean? And why did I see it too? I'm no medicine cat, I shouldn't have witnessed that!"

"When I was younger, I received a message from StarClan even though my leader and medicine cat at the time didn't. When Firestar was an apprentice, apparently he visited StarClan frequently as well. There is a possibility that you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time... but…"

"But what?" Fernpaw snapped. She was in no mood for dramatic sentences at a time like this.

"There's also a chance you're part of a prophecy. Maybe there's a reason you received the prophecy when you did and it's hard to believe that it's just a coincidence. We need to be open-minded about this and then we'll be able to figure out exactly what it means. Now, let's go through this line by line. What was the first line?"

"Those of stronger standings must rise as the forest chokes on the blood of both the ancient and new," Jayfeather recited and Fernpaw couldn't help but shoot him a weird look. She knew he couldn't see it but it wasn't natural how well he remembered that after hearing it once, especially since it was so long. All Fernpaw had heard was blood and bodies.

"Stronger standings? That could mean leader or maybe deputy. Ancient and new could mean… newer generation? That's why Fernpaw received it-"

"Trees are going to choke on my blood!" Fernpaw cried and Bramblestar had to hold back from cuffing her over the ear.

"Fernpaw, stop shouting, for StarClan's sake!" Bramblestar hissed. "ThunderClan isn't deaf and what do you think they're going to think when they hear you yelling something like that? I understand that you're scared but please just keep it down!" His face softened after a moment and he let out a sigh. "Listen, when StarClan sends a prophecy, they rarely make the meaning obvious-"

"Yeah I can see that," Fernpaw interrupted.

"-so I doubt anything is going to choke on your blood," Bramblestar finished. He glanced between the two cats before sighing quietly to himself. "You two look petrified and figuring this out tonight won't help. Why don't we all try to get some rest and we can try again in the morning? Maybe one of us will receive another dream that will clear everything up in the morning."

"That sounds like a wise idea," Jayfeather nodded. "Try to think it over and if you think of anything, come to either me or Bramblestar immediately. Even if it seems stupid, tell us anyway because it could mean something."

"Okay," Fernpaw sniffled. The entire experience had been traumatizing to say the least and all she wanted to do was curl into a little ball and sleep for two moons.

So instead of answering anyone's questions as she exited the den, the she-cat blatantly ignored her Clanmates and padded to the apprentice den, climbing and a collapsing on the first nest she saw. Sleep swallowed her within heartbeats, but even in her dreams, she couldn't escape Jayfeather's haunting words.

All Fernpaw dreamt of that night was trees absorbing her blood and bodies dropping from their branches.

**A/N: Choosing which cats would be in this story was AWFUL! I knew I wanted to use a she-cat and at first I was going to use Lilypaw or Seedpaw, but then I figured out Lilypaw was made a warrior and Seedpaw wasn't eligible anymore. Then I was going to use Amberpaw but I didn't like that idea because she's already appeared in the books and I didn't want to give her a personality that completely contrasted with the books. And finally, when I found out Lionblaze had kits, I knew this was the cat I needed… but then I had to go back and edit this chapter so it said Fernpaw instead of Amberpaw!**

**Now it's time to discuss the contest results! I would like to thank everyone who submitted and trust me, this was a hard decision to make. I had a really hard time deciding who would place and who wouldn't. In the end, a lot of it came down to who had better grammar, punctuation and spelling. ANYWAY!**

** In first place is The Dragons Among us by Juliet's Shadow!**

_I could tell that you put a lot of effort into this and that you were very passionate about it :) I was looking for someone who met all the criteria and you went above and beyond what was required and that's why you win first place! I didn't spot any errors and it was just a cute story in general._

**And in second place is Destination of Hope by Lemon Grasses!**

_This was a pairing that I honestly never thought of but you made it work. I liked at how the ending was kind of up to the reader. You could decide what path Seedfire took and that was a nice thing because sometimes it can get a bit tiring when everything is set in stone. _

**Again, thank you to all the amazing people who tried but didn't make it! It was nothing personal, and in the end, it all came down to the writing :) I'll be PM'ing you two about your prizes!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Reviews**

**RedStripe of WindClan - Haha I absolutely love writing her XD She's such a little diva. And haha fire will save the Clans from Fernpaw!**

**Lazy Watermelon - She totally is! And I'm glad!**

**Lemon Grasses - I'm glad you liked it! Every entry was so great! And thank you! I'm so happy that everyone is liking this so far and there's only been two little chapter so far!**

**Whitelightning - Well I hope you enjoy this one too!**

**Stuffed Watermelon - Yeah she needs to watch who she acts like that to! And here's another chapter so you can find out :) But I can say that none of the other apprentices are half as dramatic as lil' Fernpaw.**

**Birdflame - Hahaha! I'll be sure to do that.**

**Morbid Hitler - Thank you! Fernpaw is so much fun to write for and I love writing her and Bramblestar's interactions. And I actually had a friend help me on the prophecy because it was awful before! Like it was so obvious and it was just... bad O.o I'm actually going to start combining POV's in one chapter a bit later on but I don't want to just yet because I want to display everyone's basic personalities on their own instead of cramming them all into one chapter. But I will be doing multiple POV's, just not yet :) I don't picture Slightpaw as small at all either! I think of him as a muscular, handsome tom with broad shoulders. And that would be pretty cool to add in and it would play in nicely. I actually already have a bit of a scene that demonstrates that. I think it's in chapter seven though.**

**QLKwriter - Ah, I'm glad you like her! I was hoping people would instead of finding her bratty and annoying :) **

**Tiny Author Life xx - Thank you! And I actually did read it and I'm pretty sure I left a review :P I always mean to leave reviews but I'm so bad at remembering once I finish the chapter haha**

**Juliet's Shadow - Have fun for me! And you deserved to win. I could tell the amount of passion and hard work you put into it :) And your fic should be out soon, I just want to finish a few chapters before I publish it and then I'll get around to reviewing.**

**Tea and Gingersnaps - Hehe sorry :3 I like Sorrelpaw though! I was actually going to write for her but I didn't want to have Spike, Slight, and Sorrel. Too many S's!**

ShadowClan

_Spikepaw watched as Smokefoot coughed_ a few times, red droplets spraying from his mouth as he collapsed on the ground. He wanted desperately to run up and help the elder but Rowanstar had made sure all cats stayed away from the infected.

Smokefoot scrabbled to stand up, tumbling forward a few steps before he was on the ground again. "Must…get…away…"

Blood sprayed from his mouth as he coughed a few more times. Smokefoot was using any energy he had left to try to pull himself out of camp and he was about halfway there when the choking came.

Smokefoot coughed once before he started making a choking noise. He was trying desperately to rid himself of whatever was in his throat. Ivytail was standing a few foxlengths away, screaming Smokefoot's name as he coughed, twitched and choked.

And finally, Smokefoot went still. His body slumped to the ground and his eyes rolled back in his head. It was the final stage of the disease; death.

Ivytail's loud cries echoed throughout camp and some cats joined in on the wailing. But most were too sick or exhausted to join in on the mourning. Smokefoot was the fourth ShadowClan this moon to die; one was Scorchfur's daughter, Blackkit, and the other two were Littlecloud and Snaketail.

Spikepaw looked away as blood started pooling around Smokefoot's mouth. His body would be around for another full day before Rowanstar gave the orders to bury him. Smokefoot was Spikepaw's father and even if he was estranged and never once said he loved his kits, it still hurt that he was dead. But everyone knew it was coming after he started coughing four days ago.

The disease had come in the form of a half blind elder. His name was Apex and he had stumbled into camp one day, pleading for someone to save him. Littlecloud looked him over at once, trying everything in his power to save the elder but it was too late.

Apex had come from a small group who had all somehow contracted the disease and decided to split up to find help. Some went to Twolegs, some went to other bands of rogues, and others went to find more Clan's that might help them.

But Spikepaw found it had to believe any of them had survived.

At first, they had thought it was a vicious form of Greencough, or maybe even Blackcough, but the symptoms were all different and catmint wasn't helping like it should have. Littlecloud caught the disease after being coughed on multiple times by Apex and five days later, he was dead as well.

Blackkit was next, only surviving two days and Snaketail after that, managing to pull on for three. Smokefoot… he lasted four. But it didn't matter how long they lasted because the results were always the same; they would choke on their own blood and die.

"I wonder if the other Clans are dying out like we are," Grasspaw sniffled behind him. Spikepaw wanted desperately to tell his sister that they weren't dying out and that the disease would come to an end soon enough but he knew that wasn't the case.

"I guess we'll find out at the next Gathering," Spikepaw replied with a shrug. '_They better be. ShadowClan can't suffer alone on this…_'

Even as he thought it, the young tom felt guilty. He would never wish something as horrible as Bloodcough on anyone, no matter how horrible it was affecting his own Clan.

Bloodcough would thrive on the death of others and there was nothing anyone could do, especially now that they were without a medicine cat.

Bloodcough. That's what they started calling it after Blackkit's death. The first symptoms started out like Greencough; it started with tickling sensation in the throat which led to a small cough. Those were the first few stages, and after that, it was only downhill from there. The infected would start seeing double and they would have a fever that burned like the sun. While their flesh felt like it was on fire, their bones felt weak, brittle and cold. And that was when the last symptoms would set in. Nausea, uncontrollable fits of coughs and troubled breathing.

Blood would appear in their dirt, vomit, and spraying out of their mouths. That stage only lasted two days at the most and by then, the infected was basically dead. And the last seconds of their lives would be spent choking on their own blood. It was a gruesome way to die… and a contagious way.

Stoatfur was next in line for death because she was coughing up a storm and she was growing weaker by the day.

"Let's go hunting," Spikepaw said blandly as he got to his paws. He didn't want his sister to see this. He especially didn't want her around when their mother, Ivytail, died the same way.

He had heard her cough that morning. She had tried to hide it but Spikepaw knew that she was infected. She had spent a lot of time with Smokefoot in the days preceding his death and no matter how much Spikepaw warned her, told her that he was going to die and she should distance herself before it happens, she wouldn't listen. And now it was going to happen to her.

Spikepaw bit back the tears as he exited camp with Grasspaw. He had to stay strong for her sake; if her big brother broke down, then all hope was lost. He just wished there was something he could _do. _

"Do you want to hunt by the RiverClan border? Dawnpelt said there's so many frogs there at this time of year," Grasspaw offered. Her voice was light and delicate and Spikepaw could tell that she was trying her hardest not to cry. She never wanted to look weak in front of her big brother.

"Sure!" Spikepaw said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. "I'll race you!"

The two apprentices took off sprinting towards the RiverClan border. Newleaf always brought more prey into the forest and frogs were always plentiful by the RiverClan border. When they reached the marshy part of the territory, they had to slow down. Last time they tried running through the marsh, they both ended up soaked to the bone and covered in grime.

Grasspaw flicked her tail to silence Spikepaw. He followed her gaze to see a large frog, standing completely still with the skin under its throat expanding and closing every so often. Spikepaw waited patiently as the brown she-cat took careful steps through the mud, barely making a sound. She was only a fox-length away when she lunged, landing square on the frogs back and ending its life within heartbeats.

Spikepaw grinned when he saw Grasspaw's eyes light up in hope. "I can give this to Snowbird! She hasn't been the same since… Blackkit." Grasspaw's face fell again.

"I'm sure she'd appreciate it," Spikepaw smiled encouragingly. "Why don't you go bury it on dry land and we can bring it back to her after we've caught more?"

Grasspaw didn't say anything but she nodded and waded out of the shallow water. Spikepaw watched her until she disappeared behind some reeds before he decided to focus on his own hunting. Spikepaw opened his mouth and let the scents of mud, water, and pine waft into his mouth. After a moment, the scents started sorting themselves out and he located a frog a few foxlengths away.

Spikepaw attempted to stalk towards the unsuspecting prey but when he tried lifting up his paw, it was like it was rooted to the ground. He tried again but once more, his paw didn't move.

_Fox dung! I've been standing in this spot for so long that I've sunk into the ground! _Spikepaw thought angrily and tried throwing all his weight forward, trying to break the suction and release him. _I guess I'll just have to wait for Grasspaw to get back to help me out. At least this will cheer her up…_

Spikepaw let out a sigh of relief when he heard a rustling from off to the side. "Grasspaw, can you help me out? I think I'm…" Spikepaw trailed off when a large black tom stepped out of the reeds instead of his sister. Blood was dripping from his jaws as he stumbled forward. He was infected.

"Help me…" the tom wheezed. "Can't breathe…"

He stumbled forward more, stepping into the marsh and towards Spikepaw. The apprentice's eyes widened in horror when he realized what would happen if he got any closer. "Get away from me! I can't help you! You'll get me sick too!"

"Help…me…" Coughing. Blood. All coming closer and closer to Spikepaw.

"Please! Please get away from me! I have a sister to take care of!" Spikepaw pleaded and pulled as hard as he could. If he could just get one paw free then maybe he could dig his way out! _C'mon Spikepaw! Do it for Grasspaw! She's all you have left!_

Spikepaw let out a roar as he ripped his front paw out of the mud. It felt heavy, like it was made of stone but it was free. Now if only he could-

Spikepaw felt hot breath on his face and his head whipped up to see two dark blue eyes staring into his soul. "_Those of stronger standings must rise as the forest chokes on the blood of both the ancient and the new. Bodies will drop as leaves do while only the sweetest of herbs can prevent this endless Leafbare." _

His voice was low and raspy and sent chills down Spikepaw's spine. Just as the apprentice opened his mouth to ask what that meant, the tom coughed three times, spraying blood all over Spikepaw's face; in his eyes, on his nose, and into his mouth.

The tom dropped in front of Spikepaw, twitching and convulsing as he started choking. Spikepaw stared down at the tom in nothing but horror as he watched his breathing stop and his body go limp. The mysterious tom was dead.

And not only that, but he had infected Spikepaw with the disease not a single cat had lived from.

Blood mixed into the water, staining the murky waters red. Spikepaw could do nothing but stare… stare at the cat who had just killed him… stare at the blood that dripped from his mouth… just stare.

Knowing that his life was going to end was not what hurt the most. Knowing that his sister would have to grow up without a father, a brother, and a mother was what really stung. His whole goal in life was to protect Grasspaw and now, he couldn't do that.

He had failed.

He looked around for anything that could save him or somehow make him go back in time so he wouldn't get stuck or the strange tom wouldn't have come. He just needed _something_. His eyes went from the pines on a tree to the clouds in the sky and finally landed on a bright green leaf that stood out from the dark forest floor. As much as Spikepaw wanted to desperately believe that these things would be signs of hope, he knew his life was over.

"Spikepaw?"

Spikepaw tore his gaze from the leaf to see Grasspaw standing there, on dry land, staring at Spikepaw with hopelessness.

He wanted to tell her that it was okay. That he was the exception and that he would always be there to protect her but the evidence was laying in front of him. He wasn't going to protect her, or be there to chant her name when they became warriors, or congratulate her on her first litter of kits. He would never be able to do that.

So instead, he just whisper, "I'm infected."

**Questions of the Days (Because I forgot one for the last chapter)**

**What did you do for New Years Eve?**

**Which pairing do you want to see more of in this fic?**


	4. Chapter 3

**Reviews**

**Silverblaze72 - Thank you and that sounds like fun :) And I'm not quite sure about Mouse/Minnow yet just because I've already done that pairing and I don't want to play it to death but we'll see. And there is going to be Lion/Cinder because Fernpaw's parents are them. I hope you like this chapter!**

**Lemon Grasses - Yeah Bloodcough is a pretty nasty thing :/ And A lot of people have said Haven/Spike but we'll see! We haven't even met Havenpaw yet :)**

**Lazy Watermelon - Aw, I feel bad for pretty much all of ShadowClan right now. And as for your pairings, we'll see! All of those are forbidden and I'm not sure if I want to have that many forbidden relationships yet. But there's still five more books and this one so things could change!**

**Stuffed Watermelon - Hehehe we'll see ;) And tragedy can do crazy things to a guy and maybe all this death will make Spikepaw's 'unhealthy' thoughts even worse. But again, we'll see!**

**Birdflame! Oh that sounds like fun! I've never really thought of Bumble x Ivy before. Hmmm.**

**Whitelightning - Oh that sounds fun :)**

**Amberstorm233 - It's too bad you didn't do anything :/ And I think it's safe to say that SpikexGrass will not be a thing since they're, you know, siblings :[**

**KatieK101 - Haha I left it as KatieK for now! But hey Morbid Hitler! I'm glad you liked it and I kind of love Spikepaw too. He's so protective over Grasspaw and it's adorable :3 As for the pairings, all I can say is that some of them are right, some of them are wrong but you'll figure it out within either this book or the next!**

**Tiny Author Life xx -haha he needs to be quarantined! And I hope you enjoy this update, Ben :)**

**QLKwriter - glad you like it and yeah, ShadowClan is kind of screwed at the moment. It was actually Spikepaw who was infected, just to let you know :)**

**Tea and Gingersnaps - ...? You had an idea about Bloodcough?**

**Answers of the Days**

**#1. Drink Drank Drunk  
>#2. Obviously I can't say what I want to see because I'm writing the fic. But I noticed everyone wanted Spikepaw with a forbidden relationship. Like none of you even know Havenpaw yet and you want them to be together XD We'll see though!<strong>

WindClan

"Featherpaw, I just don't like you like that."

Featherpaw flinched back, as if she had been struck. Her mouth opened and closed but her eyes remained wide and hurt the entire time. Finally, she asked, "But what did I do?"

Slightpaw looked down at the ground as if he was _actually _sorry about breaking the pretty she-cats heart. "Well… a lot. You're too clingy and you hang with your brothers too much. I'm sorry but it's over."

Featherpaw's eyes filled up with tears as she took a hopeful step forward. "Please Slightpaw, you don't have to do this."

"But I do. It's not me, it's _you _and I just can't deal with it anymore," Slightpaw meowed. He watched as Featherpaw's face fell and a dejected look shone in her eyes. _Oops. _"But maybe if you're not as annoying when we're warriors then we can give it another go."

"Really?" Featherpaw sniffled.

"Sure, if Heathertail isn't taken by then," Slightpaw nodded and he could make out the faintest of smiles on Featherpaw's face. '_Maybe I'm giving her a little too much hope… I better crush her heart again, just to be safe.' _"But probably not. If I truly loved you, I wouldn't be leaving you right now."

And then he padded away, leaving a heart broken apprentice in his wake. He had seen that look of hurt on she-cats face all too much and by now, it didn't even faze him. It was Larkwing not too long ago and before that, it was Perchpaw from RiverClan. Obviously he never meant for anything to happen between them, other than a little bit of flirting at Gathering's but when she wanted to start meeting up, that's when he dumped her.

What was wrong with she-cats and their constant neediness? Why did they think Slightpaw would ever want commitment? And did they not see the trail of broken hearts he left behind him?

After leaving so many females in the dust, Slightpaw finally decided that she-cats were nothing more than needy kits. Sure, they were fun to play with every so often but when they start asking for things, that's when Slightpaw had to leave.

"That was cruel," Harespring snarled as Slightpaw padded up to him. The black apprentice glanced back to see Featherpaw was wailing into her brother's fur while Hootpaw shot him a nasty look. Slightpaw rolled his eyes; Hootpaw was half the apprentice that Slightpaw was. "You should learn some respect."

"I'll respect those who deserve to be respected," Slightpaw retorted. "Featherpaw was so… dramatic. Every day, all she wanted to do was talk about her feelings and it was getting ridiculous."

"Having feelings doesn't make you weak, Slightpaw. It just means you have more to fight for," Harespring lectured. He was wise and made a great deputy but Slightpaw hated it when he went on one of his little spiels. He was there to teach Slightpaw how to fight and hunt, not give him life advice.

"That's all fine and dandy but can we go now? I need to brush up on my hunting," Slightpaw grumbled. Harespring looked like he wanted to say something more but closed his mouth and nodded. "Let's go then."

The mentor and apprentice ran out of camp and away from the crying of Featherpaw. Oatpaw and his mentor, Leaftail, were just coming in and Slightpaw could see the little nick on the apprentice's ear from battle training. Leaftail sometimes unsheathed his claws during training and even scarred Oatpaw on the nose once. Oatpaw didn't care because he thought the scars made him look fierce but Onestar had punished Leaftail pretty severely for that incident.

And for some reason, the warrior didn't take the hint that maybe he wasn't supposed to use his claws during training.

"Pick up the pace, Slightpaw," Harespring called back and the black tom started running faster. He was a skilled fighter but was one of the slowest cats in WindClan. He was still fast in comparison to the other Clans but he always fell behind during patrols. Slightpaw opened his mouth and let the airy scent of the fields fill his senses. He could pick up a hare coming from nearby and without warning, darted off to go capture it.

Maybe if he came back with a juicy rabbit, Heathertail would pay a little more attention to him.

Slightpaw sprinted over a small hill and at the top, he could spot a large, brown, hare. He didn't wait or try to get a little closer to it, instead, he ran full-force at it. A second after his feet started pounding against the ground, the rabbit darted off, towards the lake. He figured if he chased it to the lake then it might lose some speed trying to turn and he could catch it.

The thought never crossed his mind that he was running too fast and the hare might _not _lose some speed.

Slightpaw lunged at the hare just as it turned. His paws roughly hit the ground, sending him toppling over and rolling away uncontrollably. The last thing he heard before the ground disappeared underneath him was Harespring screaming his name.

Slightpaw landed in the water with a loud splash as darkness surrounded him. He had never swam before; he hadn't even dipped his paw in the river before so he knew that this moment right here could be the death of him.

Water filled his lungs and he thrashed around wildly, trying to stay on the surface of the water but he only fell quicker. Slightpaw opened his mouth to let out a scream but the water that filled his mouth only muffled his screams. After about a minute, he started to realize that this could be it. This could be his last seconds on Earth and he would die an apprentice.

He wouldn't be able to get a mate in Heathertail, become a warrior and later leader, he would never be able to see his kits run around and grow up in WindClan… this was it. Slightpaw tried kicking his feet to try and swim closer to the surface but it was no use. He only managed to swim about a mouselength before his he started sinking again. The black and white tom squeezed his eyes shut and let his body go limp. '_This is it…'_

"Slightpaw." His eyes shot open to see that he wasn't the only one in the water. His mouth opened to scream but nothing came out.

In front of him, with her fur floating like feathers in the wind, was Sunstrike. His mother. "Slightpaw, do not be afraid."

"Mother?" Slightpaw choked out, realizing that he could speak again. He was still in the water, only he could speak and breathe. He wasn't dying anymore. "Am I…dead?"

"No, your time will not come for many seasons but I have come to bring you a message," Sunstrike mewed. "_Those of stronger standings must rise as the forest chokes on the blood of both the ancient and the new. Bodies will drop as leaves do while only the sweetest of herbs can prevent this endless Leafbare."_

"What? What does that mean? What's the 'sweetest herb?'" Slightpaw screamed, batting his legs to try and swim closer to his mother. Even in the dark water, he could see the stars shining in his pelt. "Mother!"

"I love you, Slightpaw. Littlekit and I are watching you from StarClan and we miss you," Sunstrike dipped her head. It looked like the stars on her pelt were starting to shine bright but then in horror, he realized that it wasn't the stars that were brighter, but her pelt that was fading. She was leaving him again.

"Mother, no, don't go!" Slightpaw screamed. "Please don't leave me to die!"

"I'm sorry, Slightpaw," she whispered right before she vanished, leaving Slightpaw in complete darkness once again.

"NO!" Slightpaw screamed, sitting upright. He leapt to his feet and unsheathed his claws, ready to attack whoever made his mother leave. "Where is she?" he roared in a voice so ferocious it could make Tigerstar whimper.

"Slightpaw, calm down!" Harespring appeared in front of him and Slightpaw realized he was surrounded by his Clanmates. Harespring, Onestar, Featherpaw, Hootpaw, and Oatpaw all surrounded him, looking worried and terrified. "Where's who?"

Slightpaw looked around and his pelt slowly started to lie flat. His mother was dead and she wasn't coming back. He was in the WindClan camp, soaking wet and creating a puddle of lake water around him. Nobody had taken his mother again, she had left. "W-what happened?"

"You almost died, Slightpaw," Onetstar explained. "Harespring leapt into the water to save you and dragged you to shore. A patrol helped carry you back to camp and we all thought you were dead. Your breathing was so shallow it was almost unnoticeable."

Slightpaw turned to his mentor again to see that he was also soaked to the bone. "I…thank you."

Harespring nodded but didn't say anything back. Instead, Onestar asked him a question that Slightpaw had momentarily let slip his mind. "Slightpaw, who's 'she?'"

Slightpaw opened his mouth to answer but closed it again and narrowed his eyes. Sunstrike had lost her life because Onestar wasn't a strong enough leader to protect his Clan. The reason Slightpaw was seeing her in his dreams instead of standing alongside his sister, Littlekit. It was _his _fault they were dead. "Nobody," he spat. "Just leave me alone!"

Onestar looked like he was about to object but Harespring flicked his tail, silently telling him that pressing the young tom wouldn't help. Instead, the WindClan leader dipped his head and padded away, followed by Harespring and the three apprentices, who all looked scared at the way Slightpaw had acted.

Even Slightpaw was a little scared by the way he had acted. It was like someone – or something – had taken over his body for a short period of time and all he wanted to do was kill.

Now alone, Slightpaw let his head rest on his paws and he closed his eyes. Sorrow hit him like rocks and he fought not to let out a whimper. He missed his mother and his sister more than anything and until now, he had done a good job in trying to bury the feeling deep inside of him. But now, his mother had appeared again and the feelings crawled their way out of the ground, making sure they were noticed.

But what hurt the most was that Sunstrike was only a dream. She was gone for good and Slightpaw would never see her again. Whatever message she had given him was just a figment of his imagination. StarClan wasn't real so that means his family wasn't real anymore either.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

**Yay, another chapter **** Thank you all for the support and I'll see you all soon with the next chapter! Until then, don't forget to drop a little review! Thoughts on Slightpaw? I thought it'd be interesting to add a character who didn't believe in StarClan because all you see are cats who have deep connections with StarClan and I wanted to shake things up a bit.**

**Question of the Day**

**Who is your favorite main character from the series?**


	5. Chapter 4

**Reviews**

**Silverblaze72 - thanks! And I honestly love Slightpaw, he's such a womanizer :D & I wanted to do something different with the apprentices because all you ever see is cats who believe in StarClan and I wanted to do something different. And haha, yeah Sunstrike is pretty great ;) **

**Eaglehaze - oh no problem :) and haha I had to fight myself while writing The Challenge to not tell everyone that I would be writing about him in this! **

** Redstripe - Thank you! I was conflicted about that because it would obviously get boring if they all saw it like Havenpaw or Fernpaw did. **

**Whitelightning - Yeah, he is really conceded, huh? But don't make judgements too quick ;) he still has time for redemption**

**Lazy Watermelon - Yay! I'm glad you like that because tbh, I was getting a little tired of everyone mindlessly following StarClan. **

**Juliet's Shadow - Ah thanks :3 I'm glad you're enjoying this and I love Graystripe too! He's actually my favorite.**

**KatieK/Morbid Hitler - I wonder how many people have seen me call you Morbid Hitler and wondered what the heck was going on XD But anyway... Haha I'm torn between TC Slightkit and FoF Slightpaw because they're like two completely different characters! Just imagine how Fernpaw and Slightpaw are going to get along... Overdramatic diva -vs- conceded heartthrob! And I loved the first arc characters! Their names were a lot better too and it sucks they're all gone...**

**Lemon Grasses - That's exactly how I picture him! He's just so great to write! And SlightFern? Hmm... we'll have to see about that ;)**

**QLKwriter - That's _almost _true. I'll go more into it later but he loves his mother and sister to death so when they died, it really hit him hard. And ah, what a confusing love life of all WindClan...**

**Birdflame - Ah so you like the bad guys then? :)**

**ScarpaththeWarrior - I really liked Silverstream too. I hate Millie though so Silverstream obviously looks like a Goddess in comparison. I liked Crowfeather a lot more in TNP, I admit. And to be honest, I didn't really like any of the three in POT. Maybe Jayfeather because his blindness was a pretty cool character trait but I wasn't big on the whole superpower thing. I like Ivypool too! She wasn't part of the prophecy but she did everything she could for the good of the Clans.**

**Answer of the Day**

**Graystripe and Firestar for the win!**

RiverClan

_Havenpaw slowly opened her eyes_ to realize that she hadn't woken up in the same place she'd fallen asleep. Instead of being curled up in between her brother, Lizardpaw, and sister, Perchpaw, she was alone, in a forested area with strange looking trees and fresh, green plants surrounding her. The entire area had a sweet scent to it, so overwhelming that she could barely smell anything else. She had never seen an area like it before.

One thing was for sure, Havenpaw wasn't by the lake anymore.

"Hello?" the black and white she-cat called out. Not even bird flew away at her yowling. "Hello? Where am I?"

"Havenpaw." The RiverClan apprentice whipped around to see a golden she-cat with unusual markings on her fur. But the first thing Havenpaw noticed was the stars that sparkled in her pelt; she was a StarClan cat.

"W-who are you?" Havenpaw whimpered, taking a step back. She knew she shouldn't be afraid of the cat but she had seen the Battle of the Stars with her own eyes and it was kind of hard to fully trust dead cats anymore after watching your Clanmates be slaughtered. "And where am I?"

"Don't be afraid, Havenpaw. I've only come to bear a message," the stranger chuckled. "My name is Leopardstar and I was once the leader for RiverClan before Mistystar."

Havenpaw had heard stories of Leopardstar. She was fiercely loyal to her Clan but not always reasonable. If she were to ever pay a favour for another Clan, she always expected something in return. "Where am I?" Havenpaw repeated. "Am I dead?"

"No, my dear. Your time will not come for many, many seasons. And as for your whereabouts, not even I know that but you'll come here again soon enough," Leopardstar mewed. "But that is not what we came to talk about. I came to deliver a message."

"What is it?" Havenpaw asked, hoping she didn't come across as impatient.

"The Clans will soon face a devastation they've never encountered and only you, with the help of three other cats, can stop it." Havenpaw stumbled back when she heard the words. Devastation? The Clans have hit rock bottom before and bounced back, so surely it was nothing they couldn't recover from.

"_Those of stronger standings must rise as the forest chokes on the blood of both the ancient and the new. Bodies will drop as leaves do while only the sweetest of herbs can prevent this endless Leafbare."_

"What? What does that mean?" Havenpaw cried out as Leopardstar recited the words perfectly. But Leopardtsar didn't answer her questions, she just started backing away. "No, don't leave! Tell me what to do!"

"Find the three. You'll know what to do when you're together," Leopardstar mewed mysteriously before turning around and racing away.

"Leopardstar!" Havenpaw screamed and pelted after her, ignoring the sting of the strange, jagged plants, whipping against her legs as she ran. "Don't go!"

Havenpaw stopped running when she felt her paws hit the water. She was standing in a small, clear pond that had been hidden underneath the plants and trees. Havenpaw looked down, expecting to see her own, distraught reflection, but instead was met with bright green eyes belonging to a brown-furred tom. Beside him was another tom she didn't recognize; a black tom with a small flash of white on his chest.

The third and final reflection in the pool was a pale gray tabby that thankfully, Havenpaw recognized. It was Fernpaw, from ThunderClan. She was one of Lionblaze's three kits and was known for her barbed tongue and fierce attitude. Havenpaw talked to her once at a Gathering but didn't really have much of an impression on the cat.

'_Find the three…_' Leopardstar's voice repeated in her head. '_Find them, Havenpaw… Havenpaw… Havenpaw!'_

"Havenpaw!"

Havenpaw shot up, her green eyes wide as she leapt to her feet. The strange forest had been ripped away from her and she was back in RiverClan with Lizardpaw and Perchpaw staring at her with wide eyes. "Havenpaw, are you okay? You were twitching in your sleep," Perchpaw explained quietly. Havenpaw slowly nodded her head as she forced her fur to lie flat.

"Uh, yeah, I just had a strange dream. I dreamt that a… badger had raided the camp," Havenpaw lied and Lizardpaw narrowed his eyes.

"You've never seen a badger before."

"Then you can imagine how scary it was seeing it for the first time," Havenpaw defended herself, sitting back down. "I should be going fishing now or something anyway. I've been sleeping all day," she excused herself.

As much as Havenpaw loved her siblings, they could be a little overwhelming at times. Lizardpaw was always trying to protect his sisters and Perchpaw always needed to know everything that was going on around her. Together, they would smother Havenpaw whenever she was feeling any emotion other than happy until she was forced into telling them what was wrong. It was usually just easier to ignore them all together.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Lizardpaw called.

"Nope!" And then she broke out into a run, sprinting away from her siblings.

Like she said before, she truly did love them, but they were just a little clingy sometimes. Havenpaw didn't stop running until she was nearing the ShadowClan border and she was starting to run out of breath. She glanced back to make sure no one was following her before collapsing on the ground, panting heavily. '_What did that dream mean_?'

She repeated the words in her mind as she lay down. She knew that if a ShadowClan patrol were to come by, they would ask her why she was just lying there but she didn't care. She had to figure out what this message, prophecy, _whatever_ meant.

Bodies dropping like leaves didn't sound very promising…

Havenpaw recited the words over and over again in her mind but came up blank. She thought that the sweetest herb thing might represent a name or something but there was no one in RiverClan that she could think of that was named after a sweet herb.

'_Find the three_.' Leopardstar's voice repeated in Havenpaw's mind and she sat up straighter. Maybe they had the same dream! Or even better, actually knew what Leopardstar was talking about.

She had no idea who the two toms were; she vaguely recognized the black and white one as someone her sister talked to once at a Gathering but Havenpaw never actually bothered learning the name of.

Perchpaw… maybe Havenpaw could ask her sister who the tom was and make this little mission a little easier. As for the brown tom, Havenpaw was stumped on how to find him.

And as for Fernpaw, Havenpaw would just have to see her at the Gathering tomorrow night.

With a sigh, Havenpaw stood and started padding back to camp. After running out so fast on her siblings, she doubted they would be so eager to talk to her.

It didn't take her long to return to RiverClan. And when she came back, Lizardpaw and Perchpaw were sharing tongues near the pile of fish. Her sister glanced up and her eyes flashed in annoyance. "How was fishing?"

"Fishing?" Havenpaw repeated, cocking her head to the side. "Oh right, yeah it was great. I was just distracted though so I came back."

"Thinking about more badgers?" Lizardpaw asked lightly. He didn't look frustrated with his sister unlike Perchpaw.

"Uh, no I was actually thinking about the Gathering tomorrow and all the apprentices I haven't met yet," Havenpaw lied as she settled down next to her siblings. "You guys are more outgoing than I am. Do you have any friends in the other Clans?"

"Hmm… I've met Grasspaw from ShadowClan. She was really nice but a tad shy," Lizardpaw replied. '_Well that's not exactly helpful! I'm looking for two toms, not any she-cats_.'

"I really like Featherpaw from WindClan too," Perchpaw added. "She's a sweetheart."

'_Still not helping_!' Havenpaw thought impatiently but kept a calm smile on her face. "What about that one tom I saw you talking to last time? He was black with some white on his chest…"

Realization hit Perchpaw and not a moment later, a scowl fell over her features. Havenpaw felt her gut drop. "He's scum! Don't talk to him tomorrow; for StarClan's sake, don't even look at him! Trust me, Havenpaw, he's no good."

"Yeah, but what's his name?" Havenpaw asked and her sister's scowl only deepened.

"No good, I tell you! He'll drag you under his spell and then once you think he can do no wrong, he strikes!" Perchpaw ranted. "He'll rip you inside out!"

"Okay, that's too bad, but I don't think you mentioned his name," Havenpaw tried again, slowly feeling her patience withering.

"And then he'll simply walk away from you like he didn't care that he just destroyed someone's life. Meeting him will be the worst mistake of your life! Stay away from him, Havenpaw!"

"JUST TELL ME WHAT HIS NAME IS!" Havenpaw finally screamed, leaping to her feet and glaring down at her sister. Perchpaw and Lizardpaw stared up at her with wide, scared eyes as her fur bristled and her claws unsheathed.

Normal Havenpaw would have never snapped. But then again, Normal Havenpaw didn't have dead cats telling her riddles when she was trying to sleep. So you can understand why Havenpaw wasn't exactly being herself.

Havenpaw realized what she had done and ducked her head, letting her ears burn in embarrassment. Her entire Clan was staring at her in shock; they had never seen sweet, innocent Havenpaw angry before.

"Sorry," Havenpaw muttered. "I've been having a bad day and I'd really appreciate it if you just told me his name."

"His name is Slightpaw." Finally, they were getting somewhere! "Why so curious?"

"You've just been ranting about how he's the pinnacle of all things evil. I was curious too," Lizardpaw jumped in and Havenpaw breathed out a sigh of relief. She was tired of lying to her siblings. "Why do you hate him so much anyway?"

Perchpaw ducked her head in embarrassment as she explained, "We talked at the last Gathering a lot and I thought he might have… liked me. Whenever we saw each other on border patrols, he would always flirt with me and compliment me."

"Please don't say you started meeting up," Lizardpaw groaned, burying his face in his paws. "I refuse to let my sister meet up with WindClan tom with a smooth tongue."

"We didn't!" Perchpaw defended herself and then ducked a little. "I wanted to but he broke it off…"

"Perchpaw!" Havenpaw and Lizardpaw chorused.

"I know, I know! Please don't lecture me about this because I've already beaten myself up over this enough. Anyway, I wouldn't hate him if it was as simple as that, it's the way he said it," Perchpaw went on.

"How'd he say it?" Havenpaw asked curiously. By now she wasn't just listening in to get information on this Slightpaw, but she was genuinely interested in her sister's story.

"He said, and I quote, 'I mean, I would meet up with you if you were a little prettier and more tolerable to be around. But you're not so I think I'm just going to stick to WindClan cats,'" Perchpaw mocked him in a deep voice and Havenpaw's jaw dropped. Who says that? That's so rude!

And not to mention, this was the cat she had to share a prophecy with! How was she going to do this without mauling the guy?

"He sounds like a rat!" Lizardpaw spat. He turned to Havenpaw and meowed, "I don't want you talking to that guy, Havenpaw. He sounds like bad news."

"Trust me, I don't want to go near him either," Havenpaw spat with a wrinkled nose. '_But I have to if I want to figure this whole thing out…_'

With the Gathering tomorrow, half of Havenpaw wished the tom just wouldn't show up and the other half hoped he did so she could just get it all over with.

Whatever happened, half of her wouldn't like the consequences.

**Sorry that it took me forever to write the Review Replies, I just had no time. I haven't really been home since Wednesday and I had no time to write it. I figured it'd be best to just post the chapter instead of forcing everyone to wait because of something I could just add on later :) I hope you understand!**

**Question of the Day**

**Now that you've met the four, who is your favorite?**


	6. Chapter 5

**Reviews**

**Scarpath - That's what a lot of people have been saying! I guess Havenpaw is just likeable?**

**Silverblaze72 - thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it and Havenpaw :)**

**Eaglehaze - Actually Havenpaw is canon :) Spikepaw, Slightpaw, Fernpaw, and Havenpaw all belong to the Hunters; I'm just writing their stories. But I'm glad you're liking the character so far!**

**Whitelightning - So you like the polite one first and then the dramatic rude one less? Understandable.**

**QLKwriter - Thanks! Yeah, that's what a lot of people have been saying.**

**KatieK101 - Sorry! I didn't have a lot of time to get back to my PM's :3 And hehe Haven/Slight would be pretty cute together! And yup, Havenpaw is definitely feeling a bit smothered by her siblings. I have a small family so I hope I'm portraying sibling relationships good! And haha, congrats on being the one person to like Slightpaw!**

**Birdflame - Yeah he's pretty cool**

**Lazy Watermelon - Heh yeah Slightpaw does have a lot coming to him! **

**Juliet's Shadow - Thanks! I love both of them, I can't choose :)**

**Tea and Gingersnaps -Yeah he's pretty great :)**

**Trinkit -I know! It sucks so much, especially since he has Grasspaw to take care of!**

**Answer of the Day**

**Uh... I love them all? I think Fernpaw is the most fun to write for but I honestly can't choose!**

ThunderClan

_Fernpaw woke up the next morning_ and the entire den was in disarray. She had fallen asleep in Dewpaw's nest so he curled up in Sorrelpaw's who fell asleep in Snowpaw's. The only ones who were actually sleeping in the right place was Hollypaw and Amberpaw.

The tabby she-cat stood and stretched, relieving her muscles of all the tension in them. '_Maybe today won't be as chaotic…_'

When she padded outside, Fernpaw instantly knew that the day would just be as chaotic as the last. Because the second she stepped outside, all she saw were eyes. Watching her. Judging her. Wondering why she had a mental breakdown the night before.

For once, Fernpaw desperately didn't want to be the centre of attention.

The only one to actually have the courage – or have no shame at all – was Frogkit, one of Squirrelflight's three kits. "What was wrong with you yesterday?"

"So much tact," Fernpaw muttered under her breath before glancing at the kit. "None of your business."

"I was just asking," Frogkit squeaked and Fernpaw couldn't help but roll her eyes. It wasn't that what he was saying was being so annoying, it was how he was saying it; like a kit.

Fernpaw hated kits. They had squeaky voices and they were always dirty and got in the middle of everything. Honeykit was a lot more bearable than Frogkit because like her namesake, she was much sweeter, but that doesn't mean Fernpaw wanted to ever actually converse with the kit.

"Fernpaw, stop being mean," Dewpaw purred playfully as he padded up to them. "It's what everyone's been wondering."

Fernpaw looked away from the tom and shook her head. "I can't say," she muttered.

"Why?" he pressed. Dewpaw was one of her best friends and it was hard to not spill the truth about everything.

Fernpaw looked at him one last time before turning and starting towards Bramblestar's den. "I have to go," she called over her shoulder before disappearing into the den without even bothering to ask for permission.

"Fernpaw?" Bramblestar was just smoothing down his pelt when the apprentice marched in. "Uh, are you okay?"

"Well, other than the fact that a tree is probably going to drink my blood, I'm just dandy," she smirked with an eye-roll. "Look, I just want to figure this stupid riddle out so everyone will stop staring at me and I can actually get some sleep at night."

"Fernpaw, I want to figure this out too," Bramblestar admitted. "More than anything. But there's a way at going at this and prophecies aren't meant to be solved in a day."

"Prophecy?"

The two cats whirled around, their eyes widening and their jaws slacking when they saw the dark gray tom at the entrance to the den. It was Dewpaw.

"Dewpaw," Fernpaw breathed, staring at the tom.

"You're part of a prophecy?" he gasped. His head was spinning and he looked like he was about to pass out at any moment. It wasn't every day that someone is part of a prophecy…

Actually, in ThunderClan, there's always at least _one_ cat who's prophesized but that's beside the point.

"Dewpaw, what are you doing here? You can't just barge in like that," Bramblestar hissed. He was getting tired of apprentices running around like they owned the place.

"I called a few times and no one answered so I just peeked my head in," Dewpaw replied. His voice was still hollow in shock. "Is that why you were screaming yesterday? Does Sorrelpaw and Hollypaw know? How about Cinderheart?"

"Please calm down," Bramblestar mewed calmly and gestured to a spot by Fernpaw where the apprentice could sit. "We can give you a brief explanation of the events that happened yesterday if you promise not to tell anyone."

Dewpaw nodded his head firmly. If Dewpaw was anything, he was loyal and there was no way he would let anyone know even a whisker of a detail.

"Yesterday, Jayfeather and Fernpaw both received a vision and a prophecy. It was quite frightening and that's why she screamed. I can't tell you much but I can say that there are many challenges we will have to face as a Clan and all we can do now is prepare," Bramblestar explained quickly. He didn't reveal much but it was just enough for Dewpaw to get a vague understanding of what's going on.

"I don't know why I got it," Fernpaw admitted. "I'm hoping it's just because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time but something tells me that I… that I'm part of something; this prophecy or whatever it is."

Dewpaw slowly nodded his head, still processing everything they were telling him. Finally, after a moment of silence, he said, "I don't know what this prophecy is about but I'll support you in it. ThunderClan will get through this."

Fernpaw let out a sigh of relief that she at least had one friend to go into this with. Having Bramblestar and Jayfeather was fine too but having an actual friend was… She couldn't describe how relieved it made her feel.

"Dewpaw, you and Fernpaw may discuss this privately but to everyone else, you don't know what happened yesterday. If you find any information about it, you are to come to me or Jayfeather, understood?" Bramblestar asked sternly and the apprentice nodded with a straight face.

At least one of the two apprentices were taking this seriously.

"Now, I heard that Mousewhisker and Whitewing were planning on taking you two on border patrol this morning." Bramblestar changed the topic. "You'd better leave before anyone starts to wonder why all the apprentices have been visiting me. It's bad enough that everyone thinks there's a Clan of foxes running around the forest after your scare yesterday."

Fernpaw sniggered as she glanced out the den entrance. Even if she was still scared senseless, it was still pleasant to think that Berrynose and Daisy were running around like mice.

Fernpaw and Dewpaw turned and padded away from their leader. In no way were they any more calm but at least they had someone to confide in now.

Fernpaw was about to head to the food pile when she saw Mousewhisker standing impatiently next to Whitewing and Thornclaw. That juicy mice she had been eyeing would have to wait until after she patrolled the borders.

"Ah, and they finally awaken," Mousewhisker grinned when he spotted his apprentice. "I hope you slept well because we need to work on the things you missed yesterday as well."

Whitewing and Thornclaw shot Fernpaw a curious look which she blatantly ignored and pretended like nothing was wrong. Like she wasn't acting like she was getting slaughtered by a monster not even a full day ago.

"I guess we'd better go then," Thornclaw finally said, realizing that Fernpaw wasn't about to spill any secrets.

The patrol padded out of camp in silence. It was awkwardly quiet because everyone knew that the apprentice was keeping something from them but they knew they wouldn't get anything but a rude retort if they asked.

The WindClan border was uneventful other than a hare running in the distance that Fernpaw felt the itch to chase. Whitewing mewed, "Well I guess we won't be having any problems from WindClan."

Fernpaw shot her a look. "What was your first guess?"

"Don't be rude," Mousewhisker scolded absentmindedly. He had said those three words so many times by now that it was basically a mantra.

"Let's just finish the patrol," Thornclaw huffed. He wasn't in the mood to listen to the fiery apprentice pick fights with everyone. "We haven't seen much of ShadowClan lately and they haven't been marking their borders as regularly."

"Is it something to be worried about?" Dewpaw asked, alarmed.

Thornclaw shrugged. "It's something to be cautious about but Bramblestar will make the final decision on whether it's something to confront Rowanstar about."

'_He's probably leading his Clan straight into the ground_,' Fernpaw couldn't help but think. She truly hoped that was the case because ShadowClan smelled like bile and she wouldn't mind having a better smelling neighbour.

"It looks like they're just marking the borders now," Whitewing commented as they passed through a thick patch of trees to see a small ShadowClan patrol marking the borders.

It was barely even a patrol. Really, it was just Stoatfur and Ferretclaw. Their backs were turned when the ThunderClan patrol approached them.

"What are you doing so close to ThunderClan border?" Mousewhisker asked calmly but there was a threatening tone buried in his voice.

Ferretclaw and Stoatfur turned around and Fernpaw couldn't help but take a step back in disgust.

Stoatfur's eyes were sunken and there was patches of her fur missing, with the rest being ungroomed. Her tail was dragging on the ground and only then did Fernpaw notice the distance between her and Ferretclaw.

"Just marking our borders," Stoatfur hissed but her voice was scratchy.

"They sent _you_ to mark your borders?" Fernpaw asked in disbelief and everyone shot her a warning glance which she ignored. "You look like you're about to drop dead at any moment!"

Stoatfur and Ferretclaw tensed up and they narrowed their eyes. Anyone would usually just brush it off as an apprentice being obnoxious but they clearly took it to heart. "Watch your tongue, you little rat!"

Fernpaw's nostrils flared and her claws dug into the ground. "Look at me and then look at you. Who looks more like a rat right now?"

"Fernpaw, stop!" Whitewing snapped but once again, it went unheard.

"It's pathetic that you're the best that ShadowClan can offer," she sneered. "Is everyone else dead or something?"

And that's when Fernpaw went too far.

Stoatfur lunged over the border and bowled the apprentice over, making them roll as her sharp claws dug into Fernpaw's shoulders. Ferretclaw watched in despair as he screamed out, "NO!"

"Get off her!" Mousewhisker yelled and went to get Stoatfur off his apprentice but Ferretclaw beat him to it and stepped in the way.

"Don't get any closer! It's already too late for her," Ferretclaw yelled. "She's dead anyway."

"What're you talking about?" Fernpaw shrieked. "Just get this crazy thing off me!"

Stoatfur looked down at Fernpaw with dark eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but instead, coughed twice, sending droplets of liquid onto Fernpaw's face. But that only lasted a moment or two until she realized that she had made a horrible mistake and she stumbled off the apprentice.

"I… I can't believe I did that…" Stoatfur whispered as she backed away from the patrol. "I killed her… I killed them all…"

"They're insane," Fernpaw breathed. "They're actually insane."

Thornclaw tried to make a move but Ferretclaw stepped in the way. "Don't get any closer! Your life depends on it!"

"She's dead, she's dead, she's dead," Stoatfur chanted. "They're all going to die because of me!"

"You realize I'm not actually dead, right?" Fernpaw tested but it was like they hadn't heard her at all.

"We have to stop it from taking them too… we have to kill her…" Stoatfur whispered, just loud enough for the patrol to hear.

"Excuse me?" Whitewing hissed. "No one is getting killed today."

"We have to!" Stoatfur screeched with wild eyes. "We have to or you'll all die!"

"FOR STARCLAN'S SAKE, WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Fernpaw finally screamed at the top of her lungs.

Ferretclaw turned to the ThunderClan patrol and stared at them with wide eyes. "Do not let her back to camp. Let us kill her now and save you all. Just let her die. It'll be best for you all."

"I'm not letting you kill my apprentice," Mousewhisker screeched. "Fernpaw's right, you're all insane!"

"I have to. For the sake of the Clans, I have to do it to let them survive," Stoatfur whispered before looking up with wild eyes. Fernpaw could only watch as her claws unsheathed.

"Get away from her!" Dewpaw roared and leapt past Ferretclaw to get to his denmate. He stood protectively in front of her, glaring at Stoatfur with eyes full of rage. "Do. Not. Touch. Her."

Stoatfur looked hopelessly from cat to cat before finally letting out a sigh. "It's useless, they're not going to let us kill her…"

"And you thought they would?" Fernpaw snapped, cocking her head sarcastically. "You ShadowClan cats really aren't the brightest of the bunch, huh?"

Ferretclaw shot her a vicious glare. "You should have let us kill her. Now you'll all perish. If she dies, you'd at least survive a little longer…"

"Get off ThunderClan territory before we rip you to pieces," Thornclaw snarled, taking a threatening step forward. "If you ever try something like this again, we can promise that you'll regret it."

Ferretclaw stared directly into Thornclaw's eyes as he said solemnly, "I can promise you that a few trespassers are the least of your worries. I just wish you didn't have to share the same fate that ShadowClan did."

Stoatfur and Ferretclaw turned, their eyes full of bitterness as they leapt over the border and onto their territory. Ferretclaw still kept a safe distance from Stoatfur as he cast one last look at the patrol before trudging away.

There was a moment of silence before Fernpaw finally growled out, "Why do these things always happen to me? First I have vivid hallucinations and now I nearly get executed by insane warriors. My life is just _fantastic_!"

"Wash your face and then let's get back to ThunderClan. Bramblestar needs to know about this," Whitewing mewed. Fernpaw's nose wrinkled when she remembered the drops of saliva that had hit her face when Stoatfur coughed.

"This is so disgusting," Fernpaw muttered as she padded to the river. There was no way she was going to wash the spit off by dragging a paw over her face and then _licking it again_. No way.

Fernpaw dipped her paw in the water and tried wiping her face. She hated the feeling of wet paws and the entire situation was disgusting to her and after doing it several times, she still felt dirty but now her face was wet.

"This just hasn't been your day," Dewpaw chuckled. All he wanted to do was try and lighten the mood but judging by the nasty look Fernpaw shot him, it hadn't worked.

"Let's just get back to ThunderClan so Bramblestar can send an army to rip ShadowClan to shreds," Fernpaw huffed and started stomping to camp.

First, she nearly drowned in blood, learned of this stupid prophecy, and now, she nearly dies because ShadowClan decided this would be a good time to go completely mental. StarClan was against her. They must hate her or something because this was just becoming ridiculous.

They reached ThunderClan fairly fast because Fernpaw was stomping at an angrily fast pace. When they broke through the camp barrier, everyone turned to see and knew that once again, something terrible had happened.

Bramblestar hadn't even opened his mouth before Fernpaw exploded. "Two insane cats just tried killing me! Do something about it!"

Bramblestar's eyes darted to Thornclaw who nodded, confirming that she was telling the truth.

"Stoatfur kept on trying to attack me and saying that I was dead!" There was a pause as Bramblestar just stared at the apprentice. "What are you staring at? Just go kill them all already!"

"Fernpaw, we're not going to go kill them," Bramblestar sighed.

Fernpaw whirled around to look at Dewpaw. "Dewpaw, was I or was I not nearly killed a few heartbeats ago?"

Dewpaw looked around nervously. "Uh, she's telling the truth. She annoyed Soatfur who attacked her."

Everyone turned to Fernpaw with annoyance shining in their eyes. They thought she was just exaggerating to get attention like she usually did. Besides, most cats wanted to kill Fernpaw on a daily basis so this wasn't anything new.

"Oh don't say it like that," Fernpaw hissed. "Finish the story for StarClan's sake!"

"And then Stoatfur tried… executing Fernpaw. Ferretclaw and Stoatfur kept on saying it was for the best and stuff," Dewpaw explained, staring at his paws. "We finally got them off but they were acting like Fernpaw was a fire that we had to water down or something."

"See?" Fernpaw stressed. "Everyone wants me dead!" She could see the annoyance in Bramblestar's eyes at her loud outbursts but like most of the time, she just didn't care.

"Would someone please explain to me why something like this has happened two days in a row?" Lionblaze asked in a firm voice. "I'm done with not knowing whether my daughter's life is in danger."

"Exactly!"

"Fernpaw, just," Bramblestar breathed out as he shut his eyes. "Please stop… yelling."

"I think I have the right to yell," Fernpaw snorted. A crowd had gathered around them by now. "All I want you to do is declare war on ShadowClan and make sure Stoatfur dies and I'll stop freaking out."

"Fernpaw, that's unreasonable and you know it," Hollypaw piped up and Fernpaw had to stop herself from swiping at her sister. As much as she loved her sister, she wished Hollypaw didn't always have to be so reasonable and perfect all the time.

"I almost _died_," Fernpaw snarled. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Enough!" Bramblestar finally snapped. He was already starting to get a headache from Fernpaw's voice. "The safety of our apprentices is extremely important to me and with two incidents so close together, I'm not taking any chances."

"So you're attacking them?" Fernpaw brightened.

"No." Fernpaw deflated. "For your own sake, you will be staying back from the Gathering tonight."

"What!" Fernpaw shrieked and everyone winced at the sheer loudness of it. "You can't do that!"

"Actually I can," Bramblestar snapped. "It's what I do as a leader and the decision is final. I will bring up the attack tonight but I refuse to let you come and have another incident."

"That's not fair!" Fernpaw cried.

"No, it's not but it's also not fair if we lose one of our apprentices because she keeps on having near-death experiences!" he retorted and Fernpaw couldn't bite her tongue fast enough.

"If it's near-death then I won't die!"

They shared a fearsome glare that only Fernpaw would dare try with her leader before Cinderheart finally snapped her out of it. "Fernpaw, just go to the apprentice's den. Once you've calmed down then we can have a civilized conversation about it."

"I don't want to have a 'civilized conversation' about it, I want results!" Fernpaw stomped her foot, snarling at her mother.

"That's enough." Her voice was calm but firm and Fernpaw knew well enough that there was no getting around it.

Finally, the apprentice whipped around and started storming to the apprentice den, a scowl growing on her face with every step. "Why doesn't anyone in this stupid Clan ever listen to me?"

Fernpaw plopped down on her nest, her back away from the entrance. She could hear the other cats gossiping about what happened but it took quite a while for someone to actually follow her in to see if Fernpaw was okay.

And even then, it was only Dewpaw.

"I listen to you," Dewpaw said quietly. Fernpaw didn't even look back at him. She just snorted.

"Yeah, well you didn't exactly stand up for me either."

Dewpaw stood there for a few moments before turning a leaving Fernpaw alone like everyone else.

* * *

><p><span>Bonus Scene<span>

"Do you think they're going to okay?" Cloudpaw whispered as her and Foxpaw sat at a distance away from the stranger. She and a younger tom - her son - had stumbled into SkyClan camp that morning, both coughing to the point where they couldn't even speak. Leafstar and Sharpclaw had ordered the sisters to stay far away as they tried to get answers from the strangers.

Foxpaw cocked her head thoughtfully. "I don't know. That cough seems pretty bad but it's nothing Echosong can't handle, right?"

"Right," Cloudpaw repeated as she stared at the scene taking place in front of her. The she-cat was desperately trying to tell Leafstar something but just as she leaned in to get close to the SkyClan leader, she coughed loudly, spraying saliva in her face. At least, Cloudpaw thought it was saliva... But when Leafstar's head turned enough to reveal the red droplets covering her face, that's when the apprentice's knew everything wouldn't be okay.

Leafstar muttered something to her deputy before padding over to the stream to wash her face. Without even having to say anything, the sister stood and bounded to their leader.

"What's going on, Leafstar?" Foxpaw asked eagerly and Leafstar only glanced at her.

"That's none of your concern right now. I'm sure your mentors have somewhere to take you," the leader tried to sound as upbeat as possible but she was failing. Granted, Cloudpaw didn't know how happy she would feel if someone coughed blood in her face either.

"Firefern is with Egg," Foxpaw replied with a roll of her eyes. She glanced over to the cream coloured tom who was affectionately muzzling her mentor and scowled.

"And Tinycloud went on a hunting patrol," Cloudpaw added. "All we can really do right now is watch."

"Actually, I need you to do something for me," Leafstar hummed and the two apprentices straightened up. A part of them knew that she was just trying to waste their time but they were always eager to impress their leader. "Can you go find Sagefoot? Out of all the warriors, he knows the most about herbs from the time he spent in the medicine den as an apprentice and Echosong could use some help."

"Two medicine cats aren't enough?" Foxpaw asked with wide eyes, looking at the two she-cats rushing around the newcomers. They had been doing it all morning and at first, everyone had crowded around to try and get a peak at the loners but when they started to realize these cats weren't getting better or worse, everyone grew bored and went back to normal Clan life.

"We'll go get him, Leafstar," Cloudpaw purred and nudged Foxpaw. They shared a look before dashing up the Cliffside, with Cloudpaw just in front of the other.

When they reached the top of the gorge, Cloudpaw whirled on Foxpaw. "You know, if we keep doing these little favours for Leafstar, they're going to add up and we might shed a moon or two off our apprenticeship!"

Foxpaw's ears perked up at the thought of becoming a warrior and the ginger she-cat picked up the pace as they raced through the forest. Leaping over logs and rocks, it didn't take long for them to scent out Sagefoot and Plumwillow near some bushes. Not even stopping to think about why a _male _and a _female _would be hiding in the bushes, Cloudpaw trotted towards them with a false naivety.

But then when she saw them - together - that's when she realized what was going on and backtracked straight out of the area. "Uh, let's just tell Leafstar that Sagefoot is a little busy right now..."

"Agreed," Foxpaw added weakly as they headed back to camp, traumatized and deflated.

The forest by SkyClan wasn't overly big to begin with so it didn't take them long to make it back to camp. But before they even reached it, they could hear the shouts and panicked screams coming from the camp. And when they peered over the edge of the gorge, they instantly knew why.

The two strangers who had come were laying sprawled out on the rocks, staining them red from the blood that seeped from their mouths.

**A/N: For those of you who haven't read my other story, The Challenge, I like to do this thing whenever we reach a review milestone that I'll write out a little bonus scene at the end of the chapter :) I usually do it every 50 reviews as a way to just thank you amazing people for the support!**

**And sorry abut not having the review replied up on time last update :( If I didn't post the chapter as it was, you probably wouldn't have been able to read that chapter until today. But the replies are up now!**

**Question of the Day**

**Who is your favorite SkyClan warrior?**


	7. Chapter 6

**Reviews**

**Amberstorm233 - I actually like all the SkyClan characters. Like I can't think of anyone I really dislike... And everyone seems to like Spikepaw and Havenpaw :3 So I hope you like this chapter! Yeah, I feel so bad for Slightpaw :( Actually all of them because even though it hasn't been shown yet, I know about their struggles and problems.**

**Lazy Watermelon - Thanks and I love both of them! I saw way to many Echokit's after that book was published though...**

**KatieK101 - I think that's how everyone feels about her XD I think I'm the only one who genuinely likes her! But just keep in mind that she has a lot of growing up to do and I am a huge believer in character development! And haha at first you shipped Fern/Snow but now it's Fern/Dew! I'm actually thinking about giving Snowpaw a mate in the future... any ideas? Haha I loved writing that part XD I always wondered how cats did it without anyone noticing. Like, they don't have a lot of privacy! Ah you're like me, you pretty much love them all :P**

**Birdflame - To be honest, I hate kids and I wanted to add a female character that didn't think kits were precious and adorable :) And wouldn't Sharpstar make the coolest name?**

**ScarpathTheWarrior - Ah thanks for pointing that out XD I guess I didn't proofread that chapter very well ;) And hmmm we'll see about that! They're already close friends and I'm debating whether making them something more. Omg Billystorm is an awful name, huh? So is Harveymoon and Snookpaw!**

**QLKwriter - Yeah, like they're not crazy but they've seen death after death and what they're saying makes sense in their heads, but sounds insane to everyone else. I think everyone loves Sharpclaw :)**

**Silverblaze 72 - Haha you're one of few ;) And I love Bouncefire! I agree that his name is a little... odd... but he's still one of my favorites. And I completely agree with you there. I mean, it's understandable but some of the names are still kind of cringe-worthy.**

**Whitelightning - Haha first you hated Slightpaw and now you're shipping him with Havenpaw! And yeah she is but there's still five more books for her to become more respectable :) **

**MillyKitty101 - Thanks for all the awesome reviews! I'm glad your liking the characters, especially Slightpaw because no one seems to like him :3 And I can't reveal too much yet about the pairings but we'll see about that SlightxFern. But I can confidently say there won't be any SpikexGrass. They're siblings so that might be a tad weird :P And haha I'm glad you laughed at that line. It's true though, isn't it?**

**Lemon Grasses - Thank you so much :D**

**Eaglehaze - I liked Rainfur too :'( But I actually haven't read it so I'm not sure. It's not based off it though!**

**Juliet's Shadow - Thank you! And I love Plumwillow, especially a lot more now!**

**Tea and Gingersnaps - Thank you! And I looove Sparrowpelt. I think he's a really good character, along with Sharpclaw.**

**Answer of the Day**

**I love them all! But I'm especially keen on the Fallowfern and Waspwhisker family. That includes Creekfeather, Plumwillow, Nettlespash, and Rabbitleap. But I honestly love pretty much all of them (Okay, maybe not Harverymoon and MacGyver...)**

ShadowClan

_Spikepaw didn't go back to ShadowClan_ after he was infected. He didn't see the point when there were already so many other cats already infected. It would just continue the spread of the disease and kill ShadowClan off faster than before.

Instead, Spikepaw turned and fled, letting the marshy water spray up onto his belly as Grasspaw cried his name. She didn't follow him though, thank StarClan.

Spikepaw ran in circles, occasionally running close to RiverClan before backtracking and running back onto ShadowClan territory. He knew he'd have to leave eventually but he didn't want to. Oh how desperately he wanted to stay!

Finally, after the moon was high in the sky and he felt like he would fall asleep on his paws, he finally made his decision. "I'll stay in ShadowClan for the night and then I'll leave. I'll travel past the Horseplace where I can spend my next few days in peace," he mewed out loud.

So that night, instead of curling up next to his sister like he normally would have, he slept under an overhanging pine tree. Well, at least he tried to sleep. He laid there for what seemed like moons, thinking over his family – or what was left of it – and how he would never be a warrior like he always wanted to.

Finally, when the sun was just starting to rise again, he finally let himself cry.

A few hours later, Spikepaw was awoken to the sound of a patrol passing by – or at least as much of a patrol that ShadowClan could spare. It was only two cats, Ferretclaw and Stoatfur.

"Rowanstar should have known better than to let you come," Ferretclaw, Spikepaw's mentor, hissed as they stomped by. Stoatfur was stumbling behind him, probably having trouble walking in a line because of the double vision that came with Bloodcough.

"I wanted one last patrol before I…" Stoatfur trailed off but Spikepaw couldn't help but fill in the blanks of her.

Died.

"Well congratulations, you got your one patrol in and now, ThunderClan is going to be infected because you coughed on that apprentice," Ferretclaw hissed and Spikepaw's head shot up. They were standing right beside the tree that Spikepaw was using as shelter and if they glanced down, they'd probably be able to see his dark paws.

Stoatfur infected a ThunderClan cat?

"I didn't mean to!" Stoatfur insisted. "She was just getting on my nerves and lost control… I'm so sorry…"

"Apologize to that apprentice's parents when she starts coughing up blood," Ferretclaw hissed as started stomping away again. Once Spikepaw couldn't hear his pawsteps anymore, Stoatfur said something.

"You and I both know that I won't make it that long," Stoatfur whispered before trailing after her Clanmate.

Once they were gone, Spikepaw crawled out from his hiding place, knowing what he would have to do.

The Clans needed to live on and if that meant intercepting a certain ThunderClan she-cat before she infected them all, then that was what Spikepaw would have to do. First, he just had to figure out who this 'apprentice' was.

He knew that it was a she-cat so that crossed Snowpaw and Dewpaw off the list and left four other apprentices: Amberpaw, Sorrelpaw, and then Sorrelpaw's two sisters. All he knew about them was one was going to grow up to lead ThunderClan and the other was hot-headed and rude.

Spikepaw picked up the pace as he ran to ThunderClan. He could hear voices in the distance but when he got there, all he saw was a patrol disappearing into the trees. "For StarClan's sake," he cursed under his breath.

Spikepaw couldn't very well just run up to them and risk infecting the rest of the patrol if they weren't already and they probably wouldn't take kindly to him anyway. So using his vague knowledge of tree climbing and his animal instincts, the brown tom scrambled up a tree and prayed that he wouldn't fall out.

It didn't take long for him to get the hang of leaping from tree to tree, though he did get a rush whenever he landed on a flimsy branch and felt it bend under his weight.

As fast as he jumped from tree to tree, he couldn't catch up with the patrol. The closest he got was when he spotted Mousewhisker and Dewpaw but after that, he nearly fell out of the tree and took too long stabilizing himself. After that, the patrol had already disappeared into their camp.

'_They're all dead now anyways…_' Spikepaw thought bitterly as he settled down on a particularly thick branch. '_But maybe the cat hasn't coughed or shared prey with anyone yet? Maybe it's not too late for me to stop the spread!'_

It was a Gathering tonight. If the she-cat came, then there might be a way for him to intercept her on the way there and if she stayed behind, the camp would be empty enough for him to sneak into. All he had to do was wait.

And waiting he did.

The sun crossed the sky at a painfully slow pace as he stayed in the same position until his legs would cramp and he had to shift. He silently thanked StarClan for blessing him with a brown pelt because it camouflaged him nearly perfectly to the bark.

Every time a cat padded out of the ThunderClan camp, Spikepaw would sit up until he realized that it wasn't an apprentice she-cat and he settled back down.

But finally, someone helpful exited the camp: Berrynose and Birchfall.

"Do you think it's a little harsh for Bramblestar to make her stay back from the Gathering like that?" Birchfall asked the cream tom.

"Are you kidding?" Berrynose sniggered. "I'm surprised someone hasn't tried killing that mouse-brain already! She deserves to be punished for being so rude and it's about time someone put her in place."

So it was Sorrelpaw's rude sister then. Now that was something Spikepaw could work with.

"You're the one talking," Birchfall joked. "I'm surprised you've gotten this far without getting a few nasty scars for the things you say."

"Hey!" Berrynose laughed, swiping at his friend. "I outgrew that and you know it!"

"I still feel kind of bad for her," Birchfall admitted. "I heard something about her having a vivid hallucination or something and now ShadowClan is trying to kill her. That's got to be rough."

"Still, I don't think all this would happen to her if she were more like Hollypaw," Berrynose added. So it wasn't Amberpaw, Sorrelpaw, or Hollypaw… now he just needed to figure out what she looked like so he could save ThunderClan.

Berrynose and Birchfall padded away and Spikepaw once again was slumping against the tree, waiting for his chance to find the she-cat. It wasn't until they returned that Spikepaw found the cat he wanted to see.

"Fernpaw, this is a bad idea," Sorrelpaw mewed as they exited the camp. "If Bramblestar doesn't want you going to the Gathering then I doubt he's going to want you to leave the camp." Spikepaw couldn't help but admire the pretty tortoiseshell for a moment. Even from up in the tree he could see the way the sun reflected off her brilliant blue eyes.

"Yeah, well Bramblestar isn't my favorite cat at the moment so he can just whine to Squirrelflight about it," Fernpaw huffed.

The second the words left her mouth, Spikepaw knew why Berrynose had such a bad impression of her. Not only was she being disrespectful, but her voice was also obnoxiously loud and scratchy. Listening to someone with that voice yell insults at everyone would get on Spikepaw's nerves too.

"Maybe if you were just a little more respectful…" Sorrelpaw trailed off when Fernpaw shot her a deadly glare. "And glared at him a little less."

"If this is such a bad idea, then you can go back to camp and whine to Hollypaw about it. StarClan knows how much you two talk about me behind my back," she sneered and Spikepaw frowned. He would never dream of speaking to Grasspaw like that!

Sorrelpaw flinched back in hurt. "Fine! See if I care when you come crying back to camp because you nearly died by your own foolishness again!" Sorrelpaw snapped and ran back to camp, giving Spikepaw the perfect opportunity to talk with Fernpaw.

Spikepaw landed on the ground right in front of Fernpaw and she let out a shrill yelp and jumped back. "Get away from me!"

"I'm not here to hurt you, Fernpaw," Spikepaw started. Before he could say anything else, Fernpaw lunged at him, scratching his shoulder with unsheathed claws.

"Sure you aren't! Just like Stoatfur wasn't trying to kill me," she sneered sarcastically and swiped at Spikepaw again. He easily dodged the sloppy blow.

"If you just listened to me then-" He was cut off when Fernpaw leapt at him. Spikepaw ducked just in time but the she-cat pivoted and started fighting him again. "I'm trying to help!"

"Yeah, help kill me!" she hissed and Spikepaw felt his patience start to wither.

"Did I say that? No!" he snapped, back-stepping when she lunged at him. He had moons of training over her and it was clearly coming in handy. "Just listen to me!"

"No! If I do that then you're probably going to slit my throat or something," she yelled. Spikepaw wrinkled his nose at the thought but he didn't have time to respond when she rammed into him, sending his entire face into a tree.

Blood sprouted from his nose and he hissed in pain. His plan to tire Fernpaw out diminished as his final straw of patience was broken. Spikepaw whirled around, unsheathing his claws for the first time as he yelled, "For StarClan's sake, you're infected!"

Fernpaw finally froze and Spikepaw took that as his cue to explain everything. "There's a disease spreading in ShadowClan called Bloodcough and we've been trying to stop the spread since the first cat got sick."

"And when Stoatfur coughed on me…" Fernpaw trailed off, her amber eyes going foggy. "Is that why they tried to kill me? To stop the spread?" Spikepaw nodded. "And is that what you're here to do?"

Spikepaw shook his head. "I'm here to ask you to come with me. I was infected yesterday by a rogue and I haven't gone back to camp. My plan is to leave the lake territories and live out the rest of my life in quarantine."

"And how long will that be, a moon, a season?" Fernpaw tried guessing and Spikepaw had to look away.

"The longest anyone's lived is five days. We might last longer since we're younger but… it's unlikely. There is no cure," Spikepaw explained solemnly.

"B-but why can't I just stay in ThunderClan? I can live with my family and they might find a cure!" Fernpaw meowed with her voice full of hopefulness and determination. But once again, Spikepaw shook his head.

"The disease is extremely contagious. We don't even risk moving the bodies for a few days because that's how Snaketail caught it… I'm sorry but you can't go back," Spikepaw said.

Fernpaw looked devastated. She might be rude and quick-witted but that didn't mean she didn't have feelings. "Not even to say goodbye?"

"Not even to say goodbye," he confirmed. "Every second we waste is another cat who can be infected and trust me when I say that this disease is not one you want your friends and families to suffer through. It's best if we just left now."

Fernpaw was silent for a long moment before sighing. Spikepaw had heard that she was rather selfish but at least she had enough loyalty to her Clan to know to do the right thing. "Okay."

At that moment, they heard voices approaching. Spikepaw's eyes filled with fear and he quickly motioned for Fernpaw to climb up the nearest tree. He clambered up behind her and just reached one of the top branches when a patrol appeared.

Spikepaw recognized Bramblestar, Lionblaze, Mousewhisker, Sorrelpaw and then another she-cat that looked kind of like Fernpaw. He assumed it was her mother.

"This is where I left her," Sorrelpaw mewed, motioning to the area.

"Why did you leave her at all?" Mousewhisker hissed at the apprentice and the she-cat ducked her head.

"I wasn't thinking! I told her it was a bad idea and then I came straight back to camp to tell you that she left without permission. She's still mad that you didn't declare war on ShadowClan for attacking her."

Spikepaw glanced at Fernpaw but her eyes were fixated on her family. He turned back to the scene in front of him to see Lionblaze was sniffing at a patch of grass. The golden pulled away with a start as his eyes filled with horror. "Is that blood?"

Spikepaw's eyes widened when he remembered Fernpaw ramming his face into the tree. His nose had started bleeding and some must have dripped on the grass.

"Oh StarClan no," the gray she-cat breathed out. "I smell ShadowClan!"

"She's right," Bramblestar confirmed. "It's still strong and by the looks of it, she put up a good fight. We need to get back to camp and organize a search patrol. If ShadowClan left with Fernpaw's body then they couldn't have gone far."

"Body?" Mousewhisker repeated. "You act as if she's already dead. There wasn't a lot of blood, so there's still a chance!"

Bramblestar ignored the gray-and-white tom and instead, turned to Lionblaze. "You, Mousewhisker and Sorrelpaw go to the ShadowClan border. Just try to stall them instead of getting Fernpaw back. I'll send reinforcements."

"What about me?" the gray tabby cried. "I need to find my daughter!"

"We will," Bramblestar reassured. "But for now, we need you back at camp."

The patrol broke off, most of them heading towards ShadowClan and the rest heading back to camp. The moment they were out of ear-shot, Spikepaw turned to Fernpaw. "Look, they're going to come back soon so if you don't want them getting infected, then we have to go now."

"I didn't even get to say goodbye," Fernpaw whispered. "They'll think I'm dead."

"And if we don't leave soon, they're going to die too." He knew it was harsh but it had to be said. If they didn't get off ThunderClan territory soon then it wouldn't be long until they shared the same fate as ShadowClan.

"Right," Fernpaw mewed but it didn't sound like she was all there. Something clicked in her eyes after a moment and she finally started scaling down the tree. When they were both on the ground, they didn't say anything as they started running through the forest.

As much as Fernpaw annoyed Spikepaw, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for her. Because they were in the same situation. In five days, they would both be dead and neither of them got to say goodbye.

**So you may have noticed there was no Thursday update... That's because I'm starting to run out of chapters to post so what I'm doing now is post every Sunday and then if I have an extra chapter to post, I'll post it on Thursday. I just don't want to be scrambling to write and then post something that isn't as good as it can be :) **

**I hope y'all enjoyed Spikepaw's POV and the first meeting between the Four. :3 **

**Question of the Day**

**I have a feeling that I know who everyone is going to say but of the Four, who is your _least _favorite character?**


	8. Chapter 7

**Reviews**

**Silverblaze the Mighty - Finally two of the four meet! It's been a long time coming :) I hope you like this chapter with little Slightpaw!**

**KatieK101 - Don't worry, they'll figure it out soon enough :) There will definitely be some drama surrounding the whole Fernpaw situation and you'll see that in this chapter. And I know right? Like someone has had to have walked in on them at some point. A one-shot book about all the time apprentices walk in one Dustpelt and Ferncloud? I'm actually kind of scared of the idea of someone making one!**

**Whisker Sage - So many ships, I`m losing track! But SpikexFern is cute and haha, I don`t think many people do.**

**Lazy Watermelon - That`s true, he is a bit of a meanie. There are a few too many Echokit`s around for my liking but Echosong is still pretty cool.**

**Stuffed Watermelon - Haha WHAT! I couldn`t imagine where you`d get that idea from XD**

**Greydeer - Why do you say that :) Fernpaw is so much fun to write for though!**

**Tiny Author Life - Gah Ben, thank you! That honestly means so much! I still can`t believe you`re joining the Navy though and best of luck with that :) Thank you Ben! Love you and I hope you`re loving your new crazy life :P**

**Juliet`s Shadow - That`s the same with me, though I think that`s because I write them :3**

**Whitelightning - I see what you mean there. It would be a pretty interesting pairing to see and develop. They'd definitely have an impact on each other since their personality's are so different!**

**QLKwriter - It's hard to choose who you hate, huh? Like each cat, in the books and fanfiction, are so different that you have to judge them differently. It's definitely a tricky choice and I'm in the same boat as you; I can't choose either! It makes total sense :)**

**Birdflame - Oh? Why them? :)**

**Redstripe of WindClan - Yeah, Fernpaw may deserve a lot of things, but not that :( Spikepaw's really honourable in that way! He would make a good mentor or maybe even leader! I see what you mean about Havenpaw; I think there's always that one cat/person who we don't like. She IS a tad dramatic and snappy but don't worry, I'll sort her out ;)**

**ScarPaththeWarrior -Ugh, I hope so! Daylight names are horrible :[ Fernpaw is pretty awful but I am also a sucker for character development. She won't stay this annoying forever, I promise! And I hope to get the next chapter up soon! I have to retype out some chapters so that might take a while...****Eaglehaze - Nah, it's no problem! I probably won't read it anyway. And thank you, I'm glad you think they're well written! I see what you mean there. When I was coming up with characters, I purposely made her personality not as explosive or noticeable as the others because I realized that it was a little unrealistic to have four cats with huge personalities. But her true colours will start to show through as the story progresses. I really wanted to make each apprentice receive the prophecy differently because it would be so boring if I had them all receive it like Fernpaw or Havenpaw did. They were exciting once, but four time? Not so much.**

**Dryad Strauss - Umm? Lol I actually don't get what you mean, sorry!**

WindClan

_Slightpaw didn't talk to anyone_ following the day of his near-death experience. Even when Oatpaw approached him to ask him what he said to Featherpaw, the tom just brushed past him. The only cat he talked to was Sedgewhisker's kit, Ravenkit, when she asked him if he could teach her a battle move and he said no.

It wasn't that he was trying to be rude, but it was that the grief of his mother and sister had hit him hard. It was like they had died all over again and all he wanted to do was rip Onestar's throat out for not protecting them. He felt like if he said anything, he'd snap.

Everyone was pretty reasonable about it all since they figured something happened during the accident so they gave him space. But the one cat who refused to let this silent treatment go on any further was the one cat Slightpaw resented most: Onestar.

"Heathertail, Crouchfoot, Larkwing, Emberfoot, Gorsetail, Weaselfur, Featherpaw, Hootpaw, and Slightpaw will be going to the Gathering," Onestar announced and Slightpaw glanced up in acknowledgement. He knew he was only going to get his mind off whatever was bothering him.

"You guys are so lucky," Oatpaw whined to his siblings. "I'm the only apprentice not going!"

"Don't worry," Hootpaw reassured his brother. "We'll tell you everything that happened. Do you want us to say hello to anyone for you?"

"Maybe Sorrelpaw and Snowpaw from ThunderClan and Lizardpaw from RiverClan?" Oatpaw asked and Hootpaw nodded in response. Slightpaw wasn't even part of the conversation, he was just listening in from off to the side.

"No one from ShadowClan?" Featherpaw cocked her head.

"Nah, the ShadowClan apprentices are weird. There's only two of them but Spikepaw is super serious and his sister basically just hides in his shadow," Oatpaw mewed, wrinkling his nose. "They're nice enough though…"

"I really like a lot of the ThunderClan apprentices too," Hootpaw added. "Amberpaw, Dewpaw, and Snowpaw are all really nice but I haven't met the other three apprentices, other than Hollypaw."

"I like Hollypaw!" Featherpaw piped up. "Everyone says she's going to be the next leader. And her sister, Sorrelpaw is a sweetheart too and she's so pretty."

"What about the third one? Leafpaw or something like that?" Hootpaw asked and Featherpaw shrugged.

"She's not really anything special. A bit loud and rude but nothing outstanding," Featherpaw answered. "What do you think of the RiverClan apprentices? I met Perchpaw and she was nice enough."

'_Wrong_,' Slightpaw couldn't help but think to himself. '_She's clingy and takes everything too seriously. You say one thing to her and she think you're mates._'

"Lizardpaw is really funny and always has a good story to tell," Oatpaw mewed. "Havenpaw is nice too but she didn't talk much."

"I really like those WindClan cats though," Hootpaw joked. "I hear Hootpaw is super handsome and hilarious. Everyone else is okay, I guess."

Featherpaw jokingly nudged her brother. "Please, everyone loves that Featherpaw. We all know she's destined to be leader."

"I think you're all missing out on Oatpaw. He's the real shining star of the group and it's fair to say he's the best apprentice in the history of the Clans."

The three laughed at their own jokes before Featherpaw added scornfully. "And then there's Slightpaw…"

"Ew. He's the one who's rude to innocent she-cats and had mental breakdowns in the middle of the day, right?" Hootpaw snorted and Slightpaw flinched. He understood that everyone might be a little cross with him after his 'break-up' with Featherpaw but he didn't expect them to be so… harsh.

Slightpaw stood up and started padding away, letting the tip of his tail drag across the ground. Hootpaw leaned in closer to his siblings. "Do you think he heard us?"

Slightpaw turned and looked directly at the three. "Yes." It was all he needed to say before he stormed away to go wait with everyone else.

Cats were already beginning to accumulate in a group and when Onestar appeared a few moments later, they knew it was their time to go. Everyone seemed to find a friend to walk with to the Gathering but Slightpaw just fell in line with Harespring and walked silently.

For a while, at least.

"Slightpaw, I don't know what's gotten into you but you need to snap out of it," Harespring finally sighed. "It's the Gathering tonight and we don't need everyone thinking that WindClan is full of moody, angst-ridden toms."

"I'm not moody _or_ angst-ridden," Slightpaw grumbled. "I've just been having a bad day."

"Yeah, nearly drowning wouldn't be very fun," Harespring chuckled but when he saw Slightpaw's unamused expression, he wiped the smile off his face. "All I'm saying is that you should be a little more… outgoing. Even if that means going back to the same old cocky, sexist Slightpaw."

"I am not sexist!" Slightpaw argued, gaping at his mentor. He didn't even bother denying the cocky part though.

Harespring gave him a look. "You have less respect for she-cats than Breezepelt does for ThunderClan."

"It's not she-cats in general," Slightpaw grumbled, looking away. "It's the ones who don't deserve it."

"And how do they deserve your respect, Oh Great One?" Harespring asked sarcastically and Slightpaw shot him a mild glare.

"Prove that they don't need a tom to depend on," he started. "That they're their own cat and they don't need a mate to prove that for them."

"There are cats like that out there, Slightpaw," Harespring mewed with a sigh. "Besides, you're the one with the constant she-cats so watch who you're saying is dependent on the opposite gender."

And with that, the deputy trotted away, leaving Slightpaw to walk alone. For the rest of the walk, he was silent.

The walk to the Gathering wasn't long and before Slightpaw knew it, he was standing in line as his Clanmate's crossed the fallen log. Hootpaw was standing behind him but the two were blatantly ignoring each other for obvious reasons.

Slightpaw stepped onto the log, not thinking much about it until he looked down. The drop was far and the breeze was causing waves to ripple on the usually calm lake.

_Water. Drowning. Death._

Slightpaw's claws unsheathed as he stared down at the water below. The longer he looked, the further away it seemed. It was dark and ominous, like it was about to shoot up and sink its claws into him, dragging him down to its depths.

"Will you hurry up?" Hootpaw hissed from behind him, giving him a rough shove.

Slightpaw stumbled forward, his paws scrambling to get a grip on the slippery wood. He looked back at his Clanmate with fear filling his eyes; it was meant to be a nasty glare but it looked more like a cry for help.

"Mouse-brain!" Emberfoot hissed at Hootpaw, cuffing him over the ear. The older tom climbed onto the log and helped Slightpaw off, shooting a glare at Hootpaw in the process. "He nearly drowned, no wonder he's not going to be exactly fond of water."

"Sorry," Hootpaw mumbled, ducking his head shamefully. Slightpaw shot Emberfoot a grateful look before trotting forward, eager to get out of the awkward situation.

RiverClan was the only Clan there when he arrived and the few WindClan cats that had arrived before Slightpaw were already gossiping quietly amongst themselves. Slightpaw scanned the crowd, his eyes landing on Heronwing and Lakeheart.

He didn't know Lakeheart very well but he was friendly with Heronwing and knew the tom had something going on with the pretty she-cat. "Ah, if it isn't Slightpaw," Heronwing called with a grin when he saw the apprentice. "Fancy seeing you here."

To be honest, Slightpaw wasn't really in the mood to talk with anyone but Harespring told him to be outgoing so that's exactly what he was going to be. "Yeah, crazy, seeing a WindClan cat at a Gathering. Almost unheard of."

Lakeheart laughed and shook her head. "You two are ridiculous," she purred. "We haven't even been here for more than a few heartbeats."

"It's what toms do," Heronwing laughed, nudging the she-cat.

"Well toms are fish-brained," she mewed playfully. She looked back at Slightpaw. "So I saw you almost have a meltdown when crossing the log bridge."

Lakeheart sure was blunt enough. "Yeah, water isn't really my thing," he mewed, not wanting to go into further detail.

"It's a good thing you weren't born in RiverClan then," Heronwing added. "What good is a RiverClan cat who can't swim?"

Slightpaw was about to say something else when someone caught his eyes and a pungent smell hit his nose. "ShadowClan's here."

Everyone turned and stared as Rowanstar padded into camp, followed by a pathetic excuse for a Clan. They all looked half-starved and like they hadn't slept for moons. Their eyes were sunken and their tails were dragging on the ground.

"What happened to them?" Lakeheart whispered, staring at the Clan with wide eyes. "They look… dead."

"There's not even half the Clan there," Slightpaw pointed out. "And I thought Kinkfur and Ratscar were elders."

"They are," Heronwing breathed as they watched the elders pad in. Clans usually didn't bring elders to the Gathering's, let alone ShadowClan who usually only brought their strongest warriors to represent their Clan.

"Something's definitely wrong in ShadowClan," Lakeheart murmured. "It looks like they're bringing all of the cats that they can get."

"I wonder what Rowanstar is going to say," Slightpaw added. "Maybe he's going to ask ThunderClan and RiverClan for more territory.

"He better not," Heronwing hissed, his yellow eyes flashing in the moonlight. "But knowing ThunderClan, they'd probably give them territory without needing to ask."

Slightpaw sniggered; ThunderClan was too nice for their own good.

But when a golden tabby tom appeared, Slightpaw instantly knew that wouldn't be the case. The few ThunderClan warriors who had already reached the clearing didn't even bother holding Lionblaze back as he hurled himself at Ferretclaw from ShadowClan.

"What'd you do with my daughter, you piece of crow-food!" he screamed with such ferocity that it even made Slightpaw take a step back.

Lionblaze bowled over the tom, ripping his claws through Ferretclaw's pelt as he screamed at him. Harespring and Reedwhisker were the ones to step in and rip Lionblaze off Ferretclaw, who now had bleeding cuts across his face.

"I didn't touch her," Ferretclaw hissed. "But it's for the best if she dies anyway!"

Reedwhisker couldn't hold back the tom as he launched himself at Ferretclaw again. "Where is she? I'm going to rip you to shreds, you scum!"

"Lionblaze, that's enough!" Mistystar snapped, slamming into the tom hard enough to knock him off Ferretclaw. A few ShadowClan warriors pulled him to safety as they stared scornfully at Lionblaze. "This is a Gathering, not a battle field."

There was a clear divide between ShadowClan and ThunderClan as the other two Clans watched from the side. That's all they could do, considering it looked like a full-scale war was going to break out at any moment.

"What is going on here?" Onestar asked, stepping in between ShadowClan and ThunderClan.

"You killed her didn't you?" Mousewhisker hissed, his claws unsheathed as he stepped closer to ShadowClan. Gorsetail and Weaselfur stepped in front of him so he couldn't do anything.

"I asked you what is going on!" Onestar yelled more loudly, just as Bramblestar stepped into view.

"I'll tell you what is going on." He spoke clearly but his eyes were icy and cold, boring into Rowanstar. "One of our apprentices was attacked by a ShadowClan patrol today and later disappeared, with ShadowClan scent all over our territory!"

Rowanstar didn't look surprised, he just muttered, "Fernpaw."

"Where is she?" Bramblestar asked calmly but his tone held so much hatred and unleashed anger that Slightpaw wouldn't be surprised if the leader attacked Rowanstar right then and there.

"ShadowClan doesn't have her. I have no idea what you're talking about." Now he was just confusing everyone. Did he, or did he not, attack this Fernpaw cat?

"I don't believe you," Bramblestar seethed. "I'm giving you one last chance to explain yourself before I leave this island and declare war on ShadowClan."

Slightpaw's head snapped up when he heard the words. The Clans were in a time of peace and he was bringing up war?

Rowanstar sighed, looking at his deputy, Crowfrost, who slowly nodded. "Fernpaw was… infected."

The second the word left his mouth, whispering broke out in the clearing but everyone fell silent again when the ShadowClan leader started to talk. "There's been an outbreak of a new disease in ShadowClan called Bloodcough. It is extremely contagious and it only takes a few days before it kills."

Slightpaw's jaw parted as he stared at Rowanstar, unable to say anything else. The ShadowClan leader continued, "When Stoatfur coughed on Fernpaw, she was infected. The incident at the border was my warriors trying to stop the spread of the disease."

Slightpaw's eyes shifted to Ferretclaw, who was being tended to by another ShadowClan warrior. What happened at the border? "Where is she now?" Bramblestar asked and Rowanstar shook his head.

"That's where I'm as clueless as you. I have no idea what happened to Fernpaw. I didn't order any of my warriors to attack her and I can assure you that Ferretclaw and Stoatfur stayed in camp for the rest of the day," he explained with a frown on his face.

"Then where is my daughter?" Lionblaze asked, stepping forward. He looked hopeless and angry all at the same time. Slightpaw knew the feeling. "We scented ShadowClan on our territory and there were traces of blood."

Crowfrost narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of his leader. "We already told you that we don't know what happened to your kit. After the patrol, no one else left camp. We don't allow our warriors to go out anymore after an incident with one of our apprentices yesterday."

"What incident?" Mistystar asked in a cold, even voice.

"That's ShadowClan's business," Crowfrost hissed back.

"It's our business!" Onestar finally snapped. He had been quiet since Rowanstar started explaining but his patience was running thin. "It was our business the second Bloodcough was discovered and you didn't tell us that either. You owe us this information."

Rowanstar looked ready to attack but it was well-known that the leader was reasonable and level-headed for the most part. "I don't appreciate your tone, Onestar. We kept this a secret because we were trying to stop the spread before it became a problem but that clearly didn't work out."

"Just tell us what happened to your apprentice," Mistystar growled out.

"Very well," Rowanstar sighed. "Grasspaw and Spikepaw went hunting yesterday when an infected loner approached Spikepaw and coughed on him. He was stuck in the mud and couldn't get away before the loner died. Spikepaw left ShadowClan so he couldn't infect anyone else. We haven't seen him since."

"So you're saying that you have an infected apprentice running around the Clans then?" It was a RiverClan tom who yelled it, but soon after, angry shouts were rippling through the crowd. "He could be infecting cats as we speak!"

"Don't you dare try and accuse my brother of that!" Everyone turned to see a small she-cat with eyes so ferocious, they could take down a hawk with one glance. It was Grasspaw of ShadowClan, a usually shy and timid cat. "You don't know him!"

"If it's as contagious as you say, then he might be infecting others whether he wants to or not," a ThunderClan she-cat pointed out.

"No," Rowanstar shook his head firmly. "Grasspaw is right. Spikepaw is one of the most mature apprentices I've had the pleasure of knowing, and if I know anything about him, he'd be away from the Clans the moment he knew he was infected. I refuse to blame him for the spread of Bloodcough."

"I find that hard to believe," Breezepelt sneered. "But I suppose it doesn't matter what I think; we're all dead anyway."

"The disease can still be stopped!" Bramblestar snapped. "The Clans had suffered through worse than this and this will not be the thing to break us!"

There was silence for a long moment before a dark chuckle filled the clearing. Everyone turned to Scorchfur whose eyes were filled with a mix of insanity and anger. His chuckle turned into a full on laugh as he wildly shook his head. "We're already broken."

Just the sight of the tom sent shivers down Slightpaw's spine. He had always looked up to Scorchfur but this tom… this wasn't Scorchfur.

"He already lost one of his kits to the disease," Rowanclaw murmured softly. "Bloodcough shows no mercy…"

Slightpaw and Heronwing shared a glance. He didn't fully understand the disease but just seeing how it ruined Scorchfur, he wasn't so sure he wanted to. Looking around, the WindClan tom realized that Littlecloud was missing from the Gathering.

That meant he was either back at camp, caring for the sick or…. Or he was already dead.

"This Gathering is over!" Onestar yowled suddenly, stepping forward. The leaders will all have a private discussion but for now, I think it's best if the Clans went home."

The other three leaders nodded to the idea. They didn't need another fight breaking out or someone having a mental breakdown.

"C'mon Slightpaw, it's time to go," Harespring nudged his apprentice as he passed. Slightpaw nodded in acknowledgement but wanted to say goodbye to his friends. But when he turned, they were already padding away.

"Slightpaw!" Someone whisper-shouted. The tom glanced over carelessly but when his eyes landed on the she-cat, he froze.

Bright green eyes, feathery black fur, slender body… She was… wow! "Whoa," Slightpaw breathed, not even trying to be subtle as his eyes raked her body.

She scoffed, narrowing her eyes at him. "Is this really the time for that?"

"Anytime is the right time, darling," Slightpaw purred. Okay, so he'd admit that in all this chaos, maybe flirting with a pretty she-cat wasn't the right choice but he wasn't going to back down now. "Besides, you're the one who approached me."

"Trust me, if I knew you'd try chatting me up, I probably wouldn't have even bothered," she huffed. "Look, we need to talk."

"We already are," Slightpaw purred but her face didn't changed. She didn't look disgusted or anything, just… unamused.

"No, I mean privately," she mewed and Slightpaw's eyes started to widen in excitement. "No, not like that! Great StarClan, you are worse than I thought you'd be."

"Ah, so you were thinking of me," he mewed with a smirk, taking a step closer to her. The she-cat took a step back as her green eyes hardened.

"Not of you," she said slowly. "I was thinking about Leafbare and how fast the leaves are going to drop… how fast the bodies will drop…"

Slightpaw's eyes glazed over as Sunstrike's face appeared in his head. '_Bodies will drop as leaves do…_'

Suddenly, the black tom leapt back, his shackles raised and his eyes narrowed. "How did you know about that? Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"I want answers," the she-cat replied firmly. "My name is Havenpaw and yesterday… I think you know about the message I received yesterday. I think Fernpaw from ThunderClan received it too and some ShadowClan apprentice."

"Wait, you think we all received it?" Slightpaw asked, twitching his tail nervously. "Does it mean we're special or something?"

"I think it means we're chosen for something," Havenpaw whispered to the tom. The Clans were already starting to leave the clearing and they didn't have much longer to talk. "Chosen by StarClan."

Slightpaw sat up straight, narrowing his eyes with a huff. "Okay, now I know this is just some elaborate joke. We weren't chosen by _StarClan_ for anything." He spat the word like it as a venom and Havenpaw physically flinched at his tone.

"Slightpaw, this isn't a coincidence. StarClan is trying to tell us something," she stressed. Her green eyes were serious and Slightpaw scoffed.

"StarClan doesn't exist," he muttered.

Havenpaw reeled back at the statement. It was almost comical to watch their expressions when Slightpaw expressed his disbelief and Havenpaw was no different. Of course, this was usually followed by them trying to force their religion down his throat and that part wasn't so fun.

"Look, that doesn't matter right now," Havenpaw mewed evenly and Slightpaw relaxed. He was a little surprised that she hadn't pressed the issue but he wasn't complaining. "What matters is getting Fernpaw and that other tom and figuring this out."

"Uh, were you not listening?" Slightpaw asked, cocking his head. "Fernpaw is long gone and there's only two apprentice's in ShadowClan: Grasspaw and Spikepaw."

Havenpaw seemed to deflate when she heard Spikepaw's name. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Fernpaw was probably dead and Spikepaw was nowhere to be found. And even if they did find them, the other apprentices were both infected.

Slightpaw watched as the RiverClan cat released a long breath with closed eyes. By now, there were only a few cats left in the clearing and they only had a few heartbeats left to talk.

Havenpaw's eyes slowly opened and she stared at the tom firmly. "Meet me at border by the shore tonight. Make sure no one sees you leave."

"Why?" Slightpaw snorted. He wasn't too fond on breaking the code to meet up with some random she-cat. But the seriousness in her eyes made him second-guess her intentions.

"We're going to find Fernpaw and Spikepaw… tonight."

**A/N: I think that was around 4k words? Maybe just under. **

**So I feel like I should tell you what you'll be seeing from me in the next few weeks. To begin, I have already published a one-shot book called Sognatore where I'll be posting all the little one-shots, poems, and short stories that pop into my head. You can expect an update in that for a one-shot that I'm _thinking _is going to be called Sinner. You may remember that little contest I held a while back. The winner gets a six chapter fic dedicated to them about any character they want. I haven't come up with a title yet but it'll be Thistle/Snow so keep an eye out for that.**

**And finally, I know I shouldn't be doing this but I've adopted another story! It's called Chasing the Wind and I adopted it from my good friend KatieK101. It's Sedgewhisker/Emberfoot and I kind of love that pairing so be sure to read that when it comes out! So there, now you know all my upcoming work and I hope you enjoy reading some of it :)**

**Question of the Day**

**What made you join (For guests, come to) this site?**


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